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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073901">Equilibrium</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_Malone/pseuds/Ghost_Malone'>Ghost_Malone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Danny Phantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcoholism, Bad ass team phantom, Biting, But I just be like that on a regular degular day so, Danny is a good boy who does a few bad things, Emotional Roller Coaster, Gay Feelings, Gay Sex, Ghost Cores, I wield tropes, M/M, Mental Illness, Pining, Poor Coping, Slight dubcon at one point, TUE references, The fentons - Freeform, They're all legal ya nasties, Violence, but not how you would think, cursing, ghost hunger, is this slowburn, obsessive - Freeform, obvious canon divergence, slight PTSD, that goes without saying at this point, they gay, vampire type shit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:41:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>222,913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_Malone/pseuds/Ghost_Malone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny hadn't paid much mind to the new developments his ghost form was taking on until Clockwork gave him a mission. Stop Vlad. Don't let him go back in time, and definitely don't let him terrorize the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone. It sounded straight-forward enough, but Vlad's situation seemed much more complex than anticipated. What did this have to do with him? Why are these changes taking over him?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Danny Fenton/Vlad Masters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>603</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Pompous Pep Discord - Our Fanfics</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Mission</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Danny meets Clockwork and receives some disturbing information about his nemesis. Worse than that, he receives a mission.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/>A long and shrill bell rings loud enough to be heard by the surrounding neighborhood and Danny follows Sam and Tucker out of their study hall and they begin the journey to their respective homes, laughing about the previous happenings of that day.<br/><br/>“But did you see Dash’s face when he hit the ground! I was rolling…” Wheezed Tucker, Sam and Danny cackling along with him.<br/><br/>The goth rolled her eyes, “I swear, he’s just as bad as Skulker. I feel like he’s keeping up this bully charade for old time’s sake alone. It’s kind of pathetic if you ask me.” Danny nodded along with her, a light smirk taking his face.<br/><br/>“Yeah, I mean they both hunt me, but after all this time I’m sure it’s just to keep up appearances. God forbid anyone around us thinking that we’ve outgrown torturing me.” Danny knew for a fact that Dash was way softer than he let on, but he did have a reputation to uphold. He probably shouldn’t push Danny around anymore, lest he fall through the smaller boy’s suddenly intangible shoulder again.<br/><br/>Sam calmed herself, snorting one last time, “Still, that was a little risky. What if he saw?”<br/><br/>“Aw Sam,” Danny sighed light-heartedly, “Dash is nothing to worry about. And even if he did connect any dots he wouldn’t tell anyone, he’s too much of a Phanatic.” He laughed to himself as he remembered all of the Danny Phantom merch that crowded the bully’s room, along with an impressive stuffed bear collection.<br/><br/>Sam scoffed, “A Phanatic? As in Phantom fanatic? Someone thinks highly of himself.” She looked him up and down with feigned distaste.<br/><br/>Tucker typed away on his PDA before handing it over to the goth. “Actually, Danny’s right. Dash runs a forum about Phantom called ‘Phanboyz’. Over the past couple years it’s blown up since Phantom got more popular.” He looked over at Danny, “You’ve still got some haters here and there, but they get blocked pretty fast. And that’s just the forum that Dash runs. There are literally dozens more.”<br/><br/>Danny threw his head back with a loud snort of a laugh. “Oh man, you have got to send me a link.” He was always amazed at how the A-list constantly made digs at Fenton while worshiping Phantom.<br/><br/>Sam rolled her eyes, “Why? To feed your hungry ego?” to which Danny only replied, “Uh, yeah?”<br/><br/>Danny’s phone vibrated in his pocket and Tucker looked at him with a stony expression. “It is done.” He said gravely before shooting a trademark smirk to his best friend who quickly high-fived him behind their third party.<br/><br/>“You guys are ridiculous.” Tucker raised a thick brow at her.<br/><br/>“Oh really? Then why have I seen the username ‘Chaos’ in the forum- OW!” He suddenly exclaimed, rubbing a now-sore shoulder and glaring at the blushing girl. Danny was a bit red himself but was pretending he hadn’t heard that.<br/><br/>“Ha-ha, well I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” He said a bit too awkwardly as they approached Fenton Works.<br/><br/>Sam blinked as if just realizing where they were. “Oh, uh, yeah see ya Danny! Bye!”<br/><br/>Tucker fought a knowing smile, “Later dude, tell me how it goes with C-dub.” and the two were off to their own homes, Tuck still teasing Sam relentlessly. Danny watched after them with a fond smile, thankful to have the two coolest friends on the planet, despite one still wanting more.<br/><br/>He opened the door and made a bee-line to his room as he reflected on their junior year at Casper High. He and Sam dated for a short time after defeating Nocturne, but after a few months together in <em> that </em> way they quickly learned that Danny’s priority would likely never be just Sam. Danny felt that too many of his responsibilities lied within the Ghost Zone, not to mention Amity Park and his family. Sam deserved someone who could give her their undivided attention, and Danny just couldn’t do that.<br/><br/>They still flirted like crazy, and probably would until Sam found someone, but he was content with their relationship as friends. Eventually Sam would be too, he hoped.<br/><br/>He shook his head thinking about her red face. He wondered briefly if he would really find any mushy comments in the forum under ‘Chaos’.<br/><br/>Danny tossed his cell on his bed before turning intangible and floating down to the basement. Upon changing forms he once again felt that weird, vibrating hunger from deep within his core. It was a sensation that had been plaguing him since just before his eighteenth birthday, growing more and more uncomfortable with each transformation. Luckily it passed after awhile if he didn’t consciously think about it, so he could usually go about his ghost wrangling business with no issues. That wasn’t the only birthday gift he received though- just a few days after he celebrated he noticed that his canine teeth had become quite pointy and just a bit larger than he remembered.<br/><br/>Danny had laughed upon this discovery. <em> ‘Heh, Ghost boy becomes Ghost man…” </em> The only thing he could think of was some sort of ghost puberty, but surprise fangs weren’t a huge deal so he brushed it off and hadn’t really thought much about it since. It wasn’t exactly a new power so he didn’t really see their purpose.<br/><br/>He descended to the lowermost level of their home and found his parents there of course, working on some sort of tracker. They had been talking about it all morning through breakfast, most of their technological engineering jargon going right over his head, but he’d gotten the gist of the project. The schematics looked much more advanced than their other blueprints.<br/><br/>As Danny invisibly floated past them and into the Ghost Zone he silently prayed this new device would be as glitchy as their others. Most of their inventions immediately reacted to Danny even in human form, though they never suspected he was a ghost since they were typically prototypes or low-end radars, and, well, he was their human son. If a sophisticated tracking device honed in on him though? He didn’t think that would be as easy to shrug off or explain away. He wanted to tell them soon, but not <em>that</em> soon.<br/><br/>He sighed, his breath an icy mist as he floated through the hazy green atmosphere. Danny wasn’t particularly surprised, he <em> was </em> in the Ghost Zone after all, though he hadn’t floated by anyone familiar or malevolent. He had become quite fearsome over the past four years, and now as a young adult he felt very confident in his abilities.<br/><br/>The buzzing of his ghost core seemed to settle upon entering the the portal. He took a deep breath of ghostly air, knowing something about the Zone had something to do with it. He wasn’t completely comfortable, still feeling like there was this vibrating static in his core, but it wasn’t painful or uncomfortable like it had been.<br/><br/>Danny continued floating, looking for some sort of sign or portal that would lead him to Clockwork. Usually the ghost appeared to him, but this time he’d specifically asked Danny to find him. Before Danny could ask where or how, or <em> why</em>, he turned into his elderly form and winked. “I know you’ll figure it out.” Danny groaned.<br/><br/>Clockwork’s lair never stayed in the same place. It was going to take forever.<br/><br/>He realized that he recognized his surroundings and an idea popped into his ghostly head, perhaps the very idea the time ghost had in mind. He zoomed forward at near hyper speed and found himself at Skulker’s island in less than a minute.<br/><br/>Only to be shot at.<br/><br/>“Hey!” Danny yelled, looking around for the culprit.<br/><br/>Skulker appeared, having been invisible. “Well, well, if it isn’t the little WHELP!” He shouted, firing another blast in Danny’s direction. He laughed as the smaller ghost shrieked away from the blast. “To what do I owe the pleasure of obtaining your hide?”<br/><br/>Danny sneered, “Oh come on, Skulker, we both know interior decorating isn’t your strong suit. Give it up already!” He was answered with another blast, this one hitting him square in the chest and sending him crashing down into the foliage of the other ghost’s island lair.<br/><br/>He slowly sat up from his crater, “<em>RUDE!</em>” The boy shouted, holding his head and glaring as Skulker flew down with a grin.<br/><br/>“I could say the same to you, whelp. I think my home looks fantastic.” His rockets shut off a few inches from the ground and his feet made loud, resounding contact with the land below them.</p><p>“Really, though. You have no reason to test our flimsy truce, unless you’re as bored as I am right now. If you really want to let me play target practice with you then you should at least fly around and put on a show.”<br/><br/>Danny scoffed, pushing himself to stand. Skulker was still taller than him, but not by quite as much. He didn’t have to throw his head back just to look into the ghost’s eyes anymore, but he still had to look up. “No, I didn’t come here to get shot at, thanks.”<br/><br/>“Your loss.”<br/><br/>“My loss? HOW-” Danny closed his eyes, calming himself. Being easily riled was not something he’d outgrown yet. “Never mind. I came here because I need the abilities of the Ghost Zone’s Greatest Hunter.” He smirked as Skulker displayed genuine interest. <br/><br/>“I’m listening.” Ha, too easy.<br/><br/>“Good. Do you know of ‘Clockwork’?”<br/><br/>This time Skulker scoffed, “Everyone who is anyone at least <em>knows of</em> Clockwork.” He stared down at Phantom who gave an equally expectant stare until the light bulb went off in Skulker’s head. “You want to hunt the ghost of time? Do you think I have a death wish?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, unimpressed. “I only need you to help me find his lair. You can track him, right? Or is ‘Greatest Hunter’ just a title you throw around for fun?”<br/><br/>Skulker grit his teeth before activating some contraption on his right arm. “Come on, whelp.” and Danny grinned as they flew off deep into the far ends of the Ghost Zone. Sometimes ghosts were too predictable now. Their obsessions were their biggest strength but also their greatest weakness. All it took was a push or a challenge and boom. Got ‘em.<br/><br/>Danny somewhat unwillingly remembered his darker future self, no humanity, just obsession. His family, his friends, getting more and more power so he could protect them- his downfall. Nowadays he tries to be less attached, afraid of what he could become if he lost them…<br/><br/>“We’re close.”</p><p>At the sound of Skulker’s voice Danny returned to the present to take in their surroundings. Gears and clocks and numbers and more clocks.<br/><br/>“No shit?” Danny said, having never arrived this way himself, always appearing through a portal or Clockwork leading him there from various points in the Ghost Zone.<br/><br/>Skulker glared behind him, his expression unamused. “Pretty fucking sassy for someone who couldn’t find this place on his own.”<br/><br/>“Woah!” Danny laughed, “Do you kiss Ember with that mouth?”<br/><br/>Skulker’s head shot forward, ignoring Danny until they were upon the tower. Danny soared up until he was at the window of the room in which he knew Clockwork watched his time. He could obviously take it from here, but Skulker flew up with him anyway. He shrugged. As long as he wasn’t being shot at he really had nothing against the other Ghost tagging along. They had both mellowed out over the last four years.</p><p>The room was empty at first, just screens playing various segments of time. Danny’s eyes lingered on the thermos that sat in front of a future screen. It was displaying his older self of course. Danny wanted to look away but couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen. Neither could Skulker.<br/><br/>“That’s… you?” The large mechanical ghost asked, a bit incredulous. “Listen, our truce-”</p><p>Danny waved away whatever Skulker was about to say, his expression grim. “That won’t be me. As long as I retain my human half I’ll never be that… murderous…” Danny cringed. Skulkers shoulders relaxed, now he just stared at the screen curiously. He slowly stepped closer before he noticed the banged up thermos. “What is-”<br/><br/>“<em>Don’t touch that! </em> ” Danny warned, voice lower and more foreboding than he thought he was capable of. Skulker’s hand retracted immediately.<br/><br/>“Yes, you definitely want to leave that alone, Great Hunter.” Another voice drawled, sounding a bit amused.<br/><br/>“Clockwork.” Danny greeted his now-and-then mentor. He was returned a small nod as the ghost’s form regressed to that of a child. <em> A creepy child… </em> Danny thought to himself.</p><p>“I knew you would find me, Danny Phantom.”<br/><br/>“Yes, yes, you know all. Now what was it you wanted to talk about?” If Clockwork was offended by Danny’s direct attitude it didn’t show. He merely glanced thoughtfully at Skulker, who was now witnessing his own fate in Danny’s dark alternate future.<br/><br/>“Join with Technus? Are you kidding me?” He even gagged before noticing the other beings watching him with raised brows. “I mean, he’s not the worst looking guy, he’s just not my type.”<br/><br/>Danny laughed, never having thought of what it would mean to a ghost if they fused with another. He supposed in their world that <em> was </em>probably about as intimate as you could get. His smile dropped as he remembered how his future form came to be. He stared up at the screen displaying said form. He hoped he could get that muscular and powerful without Vlad’s ghost half in the mix. He had to admit, they made one sexy ghost. A<em> very evil, </em>but sexy ghost. He licked at his sharp canines as his studied future Phantom’s evil fangy grin, wondering absently if his would keep growing until they were that size or if that was purely Vlad’s influence.<br/><br/>His hand curled into a fist at the very thought of the man and he desperately pushed Vlad’s image from his mind's eye.<br/><br/>He shook his head, looking back to Clockwork to see him smirking down like he could read the halfa’s mind. “That was actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Apparently he could. Again he glanced at Skulker, who was finally paying attention to the present once more. “I suppose he can hear as well…” Danny frowned at that. Clockwork <em> knew </em> Skulker would be present. Of course he’d hear.<br/><br/>Then the time-ghost continued, “Since this <em> is </em> about your employer.”<br/><br/>Skulker and Danny shared a look, “Plasmius? What’s he up to now?”<br/><br/>Skulker looked particularly confused, if not defensive. “I’ve had nothing to do with whatever plot he’s forming nowadays, I haven’t heard from him in months!” Danny smirked, Skulker still seemed to be trembling at the thought of being hunted by his all powerful dark counterpart ten years from now..<br/><br/>He looked back to Clockwork when he was hit with a realization, “Actually, I haven’t seen him in a few months either. Not even as Masters. Not since he tried to attack this place.” Danny thought back to their last encounter, brows furrowed in thought. The older halfa had always been greedy. This go around he’d wanted power over time and other dimensions like Clockwork- likely to visit a time or place where he and Danny’s mom were together or something. Danny grimaced at the thought.<br/><br/>Clockwork easily defeated him, but Vlad being the sharp and slippery weasel he was escaped into an electric pink portal before Danny could even truly get involved, and they hadn’t seen him since. Vlad was usually never far from Danny, always antagonizing him into some fight or another. However the last few encounters before his disappearance had been avoidant or straight-to-the-point. In fact, the battle that took place a week before Clockwork’s tower was over before it started.<br/><br/>Vlad had been trying to steal some sort of technology from the Guys in White. He could have probably made it himself, but for some reason he needed theirs, probably just to be a pain. Danny hadn’t asked questions. He fired off a toxic green blast aimed at Vlad’s head, a warning shot, only for it to explode upon reaching a large fuchsia shield. He remembered the man’s face being tight as they glared menacingly at each other. Danny briefly found the absence of Vlad’s notorious devilish grin to be strange but the alarm bells in his head didn’t really go off at first, not until he went to face that steely expression up close.<br/><br/>He charged at Vlad like a bull only to be blocked by the very same shield. He expected a clever quip or teasing banter, but once he was in Vlad’s space he got nothing of the sort. A barely noticeable panic flashed in the older halfa’s eyes before he bared his teeth and violently blasted Danny away to crash into the building below. No games, no beating around the bush. He just immediately swatted Danny down to the dirt like a fly.</p><p>He waved his hand to clear the dust but Vlad was already stepping into a portal of his making, sparing Danny but one last glance before disappearing for what was apparently the last time until he showed up at Clockwork’s tower months ago.<br/><br/>Danny thought about that encounter all the way up until their next one. Vlad seemed to have a more important objective on his mind than tormenting the younger halfa, which to Danny was quite out of place. Vlad had always looked forward to fighting with Danny, mostly teasing and toying with him. He hadn’t seemed scared per se, but something was definitely distracting him from his normal sadistic behavior. Danny almost felt put out, maybe insignificant, but Vlad would never dismiss him like that, so he knew that wasn’t the case.<br/><br/>But what <em> was </em> the case?<br/><br/>Vlad was still stronger than him when it came to raw power, and his twenty years of experience made him absolutely deadly, so Danny pretty much remained his only real active threat.<br/><br/>So no, he definitely wasn’t blown off. Definitely not. He was Vlad’s only opposition.<br/><br/>He grabbed at his abdomen as his core vibrated restlessly. Danny winced, that one had hurt.<br/><br/>“So what’s the deal, Clockwork? What’s he done this time?” Danny grunted, trying to ignore the throbbing sensation that beat through his body now.<br/><br/>Clockwork smiled that knowing smile, “It’s less what he’s done and more what he’s planning to do, what he very well could do. We all know that ghosts are manifestations of our living obsessions. Skulker’s hunt, Box Ghost’s… boxes, Ember’s song.” Screens played footage of aforementioned ghosts.<br/><br/>Clockwork went on, “And Plasmius is a manifestation of Vlad Masters’ hate, greed and loneliness. If left to fester, even in the realms where time stops, these obsessions can grow to take over his body and being. The needs must be met or sated by some means, and if ignored for too long, they venture out of one’s control…” Needs? Danny shivered.<br/><br/>“Okay then, what <em> will </em> he do?”<br/><br/>Clockwork wordlessly waved a staff and they could suddenly see the future as he did, or at least a moment of it. Vlad was there with Maddie Masters, his wife of twenty years. Jazz smiled up at him, <em> “Dad, what are we going to do about Danny?” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Vlad patted her shoulder lovingly, “<em>Don’t you worry about that, darling. School is just a little harder for him than it was for you. He’ll get through it.”  </em>He turned to Maddie, <em> “Perhaps I should spend more time with my boy. A relationship with his father is vital for a young man after all…”  </em>They trailed off, walking down the grand staircase of a much homier looking mansion than the castle he owned in real life.<br/><br/>Danny blinked, “He… he actually figured out how to make that happen? He went back in time? Or he's going to?” He turned back to Clockwork, “How could you let this happen? Where did he even get the idea?”<br/><br/>Clockwork sighed, dissolving the images. “Vlad Masters is a smart and wealthy man, I do not put time travel past him. He has the means to obtain the sophisticated materials necessary to perform such a feat without my powers.”<br/><br/>The color drained from Danny’s face as he assessed the implications of having the power of time as a sad, lonely and vengeful halfa.<br/><br/>Clockwork didn’t allow the boy’s mind to spiral much further, “Plasmius continues to undergo physical changes as a half-ghost. You are partly humans after all. As you may know, many of these biological developments can be rewarding- like achieving access to your ghost core and its elemental capabilities, along with unlocking different powers within that core.”<br/><br/>Yes, Danny remembered how bad-ass he felt when he finally learned to control his ice power. He also remembered how <em> weird </em> his body had been leading up to it. He couldn’t get warm for that entire period, and accidentally freezing something or someone had been a near daily occurrence. <br/><br/>Suddenly Clockwork was his middle-aged self. “But some changes are… more troublesome.” Clockwork suddenly played the future in front of them again, this time cutting to the scene in which Vlad was ripping Danny’s ghost from his body with the Ghost Gauntlets. As the ghost flew from him and did the same to Vlad the recollection seemed to slow. Clockwork slowly shook his head in what appeared to be grief as they watched the ghosts fuse and corrupt.<br/><br/>“The nature of a ghost is usually impossible for a human to maintain control of. People are regularly possessed and made to do things that they could normally reason their way out of. However, Plasmius is part of Masters. The situation is unique and unpredictable. The two identities flow in and out of harmony continuously, but are heavily influenced by one another since they share the same consciousness and vessel. Right now, Vlad Masters is fighting a losing battle with his unstable ghost half.”</p><p>Danny squinted as he listened, as if it would help him hear and understand all of this information. It explained quite a bit of his own core’s recent behavior. All of the buzzing and discomfort was likely just another development. So he was right- Ghost puberty. Only apparently this stuff went on forever. Or at least into one’s forties.</p><p>“So,” the halfa paused for a moment, “So his ghost is influencing him into… being more evil?”<br/><br/>“No.” Clockwork deadpanned, his expression unamused but unsurprised at Danny’s black and white view of the world. “Evil and self-serving are different states of being. His ghost half is simply eating at his walls of self control, and with no inhibitions to hold back a creature like Vlad Plasmius, it is only a matter of time before everything around him erupts into chaos. Then people, and ghosts, can get hurt.” He morphed once again until he was old and leaned down a bit to stare into Danny’s eyes.<br/><br/>“And we both know what he is capable of. People <em> will </em> get hurt.”<br/><br/>Danny released a breath that he didn’t know he’d been holding. Once again a child, Clockwork floated around them to watch several realities at once, still somehow able to hold a train of thought. “Vlad Masters is also, as of late, no longer capable of retaining control of other aspects of his ghostly being. His energy requirements continue to grow while his resources and means of acquiring that energy dwindle. These means are simply no longer enough to sate the demands of his ghostly core.”<br/><br/>Clockwork phased into his old self, “And no amount of common ectoplasm will be enough.”<br/><br/>Skulker’s jaw slowly dropped, seeming to grasp something that Danny just wasn’t getting. “Wait, I don’t think he was a feeder before, you have to be born that way.”<br/><br/>“Ah, yes,” Clockwork raised an inquisitive brow, “But was Vladimir Masters <em> born </em> a ghost?” Skulker snapped his jaw shut and hummed in thought.<br/><br/>Clockwork sighed, “Vladimir has been a feeder since the beginning of his time as one of our kind. It was only a short time before he became active, if you will. He is a creature of many well-kept secrets, Hunter.”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t want to be left behind so he finally voiced his ignorance, “What’s a feeder?”<br/><br/>Skulker frowned as he turned to face Danny. “All this time and you haven’t encountered a feeder?”<br/><br/>Danny folded his arms, feeling like the butt of a joke. “Well if I don’t know what that is then how would I know if I’ve encountered one <em> genius </em> ?”<br/><br/>Clockwork leaned into their field of vision, quite literally foreseeing a fight. “You’ve encountered many variations of feeders, just not like this. Nocturn feeds on dreams, Spectra feeds on misery. Real feeders, ones that can actually be called that, feed on the ectoplasm of other ghosts.”<br/><br/>Danny was finally connecting the dots. “I knew that creep was a fucking vampire.” </p><p>Clockwork barely hid a smirk, “He hadn’t always been. I’ve known Plasmius long before I came to know you, though not as closely. After his side-effect… developed, he’s survived by tearing into the throats of many a ghost in our zone. Feeders are not as common as they once were, and even rarer is the nature of his core. Recently the lower level ghosts can no longer sate him and his ghost half is beginning to eat away at his humanity.” He finished, leaning in towards Danny and Skulker.<br/><br/>The young halfa furrowed his brows, “So… you want me to stop him from… going rogue and eating you all? If we can’t find him then how do we stop him?”<br/><br/>Clockwork leaned out of their space and into his own. “Only you can stop Vlad Plasmius, and only now. I have a dear friend watching over him as we speak, and I have no doubts that you can find him- <em>if you follow your gut.</em>”<br/><br/>And with that last cryptic message, Clockwork zapped them to a random rock in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by the empty green plane that was the Ghost Zone Skulker sighed and pulled up his tracker, acting as a navigation system, and took off to his island.</p><p>“Hey!” Danny called after him, taking a flying leap off of the rock to float a bit behind the large ghost. “Don’t just leave me here! I have no idea where we are!” Skulker looked surprised to find Danny following but made no move to deter him, only scoffing.<br/><br/>“Well don’t expect me to continue this little buddy-buddy charade. I want nothing to do with helping a ghost that sees me as an entree, and it's bad enough that I helped <em>you</em>. Plasmius was risky enough to work with before, now that I know he’s a feeder, I doubt any amount or bounty could convince me to take a job from him. You’re on your own, whelp.” Jeez, no wonder Plasmius kept his status secret.<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes, “Oh, like you’d be any help anyway. Just take me to your island so I can find my portal home.” Skulker slowed.<br/><br/>“You’re not going after him now? Is your arch nemesis becoming an out of control feeder not an urgent matter to you?” Danny raised his hand in the sassiest manner possible.<br/><br/>“Dude, my English Lit homework is more of a priority right now than saving Vlad from eating his own crappy personality. Besides, C-dub said his friend had an eye on it.”<br/><br/>Skulker raised a mechanical brow, “C...dub?”<br/><br/>“CW. Clockwork. Sorry, that’s how Tu-”<br/><br/>“The technogeek friend?”<br/><br/>“Yes, <em> Tucker</em>,” he ground out irritably. Honestly they dealt with names enough at school. “Refers to Clockwork that way. Speaking of that, I do need to get home and talk with my friends about a few things, so if you could just lead the way already.”<br/><br/>“Whatever you say, whelp. And while Clockwork seems to favor you, I wouldn’t go calling him that in his presence. He may be a decently neutral being, but I definitely would not test that with a tacky little nickname.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, yeah.” Danny grumbled, though he would never even think of referring to Clockwork by that name if the ghost were in earshot. <br/><br/>He just wanted to be done with today, but he knew as soon as he got home that he would have to go straight to research. An unending internal groan resonated in his head as they floated towards a more familiar area of the Ghost Zone.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Compass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Team Phantom puts their heads together to dig up some ghost lore so they can figure out their next step, then they go looking for Plasmius.</p><p>Or.</p><p>What to do when the core of the problem seems to be The Core of all your problems.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/>“Okay, so this is the info Technus could give me on feeder ghosts. He even said ‘good luck’, so this might be a bigger deal than you think Danny.” Tucker’s concern was evident even though his face no longer showed on his screen. The trio looked over the limited data. It wasn’t particularly detailed, but it dated back much farther than Danny had imagined.<br/><br/>But people have been dying since the beginning of time, so he supposed it made sense.<br/><br/>“Danny, we’re talking medieval times type shit. What’s happening to Vlad?” Tucker asked, still looking over the data but also clicking at something else on his other screen. Tuck had become a true paranormal investigator over the years, putting his expertise and connections together with Sam’s extensive knowledge of the occult and mythology they’d successfully put together an immense database of their findings.<br/><br/>It was inspired by his parent’s own database down in the lab, but their program was significantly more factual since they had actual experience within the Ghost Zone.<br/><br/>However, vampire ghosts were definitely going to be new territory for him and his partners in crime-fighting.<br/><br/>The halfa sighed, “So Vlad is basically a ghost vampire that’s needing stronger and stronger blood- uh, ectoplasm- or his ghost half will consume his human half and become a crazed and unstoppable feeder whose sole focus is basically catching and eating them. This is obviously not cool to the spooks of the Ghost Zone.” He managed in one breath, cramming his understanding of the situation into a single sentence.<br/><br/>Silence ran long enough for Danny to notice a ring in his ear before Tucker broke it. “Uh… That sounds… pretty bad. For everyone.” The red beret comes off and Tuck runs his hands over his dreaded locks in thought. “If Vlad’s a feeder, and he’s not being fed… Do ghosts die? I honestly figure C-dub would just let that happen if it were the case… but Vlad… could go crazy? -er?” Now Tucker was the rambler of their group.<br/><br/>“Umm...Yeah, Danny,” Sam winced, “What are <em> you </em> supposed to do about that? Did Clockwork say how we’re supposed to stop him?”<br/><br/>“Does he have vampire weaknesses? Do we even know where he is?” Tucker asked with a confused quirk in his brow.<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, almost fed up with the task already. “Does Clockwork ever tell me how to do things?” to that he only received grumbles and shrugs. “He was as mysterious and vague as always, but he said it had to be me and it had to be now. Which is weird since Vlad’s apparently been M.I.A. for months now…” Danny rubbed his chin. Clockwork’s timing never made any sense to him, but he supposed that’s why the guy was in charge of that stuff in the first place.<br/><br/>He and Sam could hear Tucker’s keyboard click rapidly and they waited for whatever information he could dig up.<br/><br/>“Huh. Apparently his last few press conferences have been either canceled or held by a stand-in. The last one looked like his deputy mayor, but he didn’t say anything about Vlad other than he was unavailable. They probably don’t want to cause a panic, but it’s weird that no one has reported him missing.”<br/><br/>Danny narrowed his eyes. Even for a lonely guy like Vlad that was indeed very weird.</p><p>He would have heard <em> something </em> about it if the man was simply on some fancy vacation. They would have been mailed a weird invitation addressed to only him and his mother. Vlad would have been plotting something and made a move by now, the man couldn’t help himself. That’s what obsession was all about.<br/><br/>Sam piped in, “Mmmm, a guy like him probably has systems in place for a situation like this. Most likely it’s his assistant saying he’s unavailable, but I have little doubt that the guy is just reading off instructions left by Masters himself. There’s no way he actually knows where his boss is, this screams ‘damage control’ a bit too loudly. Or, well, quietly in this case.”<br/><br/>“Yeah,” Danny agreed, “That sounds like something Vlad would do- can’t let anyone see any weakness.” His eyes rolled as he thought of the perfectly put together persona Vlad somehow kept up all these years. “So… no leads. Cool.”<br/><br/>Tucker shrugged, “Alright, so, he’s missing from here <em> and </em> the Ghost Zone, right?” <br/><br/>Danny nodded affirmatively, “Yeah, Skulker hasn’t seen or heard from him either. Jeez! This would be so much easier if Clockwork just told me what to do!” He slammed his fist down, barely controlling himself from doing any real damage.<br/><br/>“Or at least where to go…” Sam grumbled.<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes widened, “Oh!” He sat up registering his friend’s surprised faces on their webcams. “He said that a friend was watching over Vlad, whatever that means…”<br/><br/>Sam flipped her long hair over her shoulder, “Great, half a clue!”<br/><br/>“Ha, halfa…” Tucker snickered.<br/><br/>Danny raised a hand to shoot a finger gun at the screen, “Good one, Tuck. But this could actually be something, guys. Let’s think, who would Clockwork consider a friend?”<br/><br/>“Besides the other infinite C-dubs? I don’t know, man, that seems like your territory.”<br/><br/>Danny sucked his teeth, annoyed. Tucker was right, he was the only one that would have a shot at guessing that one. Who was on friendly terms with Clockwork.<br/><br/>Ghostwriter came to mind first, but he was pretty much on good terms with the lot of them after they reestablished the X-mas truce. Still, Danny couldn’t imagine what good having Ghostwriter watch over Plasmius would do. No, that couldn’t be it.<br/><br/>“Actually, now that I think about it, he said a <em>dear</em> friend. Honestly though, that just makes this harder. Clockwork is alone most of the time, so who could he be that friendly with?” Danny continued to wrack his brain. What else had Clockwork said?<br/><br/>“Hey, there’s something in these records Technus sent me.” Tucker displayed his screen instead of his face. “Does Vlad have a fire core?”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, “I’m… not positive. It’s not like we chat about these things over coffee. Plus personal ghost details like that probably shouldn’t come up while kicking each other’s ass.” Still, he paused to mull it over, recalling all of the times they’d been in close proximity in their ghost forms- without beating the absolute shit out of each other. He’d definitely noticed the warmth, but he also remembered Plasmius using crazy lightning powers on him, so maybe lightning core? Then again they also left fire in their wake most of the time(Danny had simply thought the surrounding areas were super flammable). But his own ectoplasmic blasts rarely left behind more than smoke, so perhaps…</p><p> “It’s quite possible. He never felt cold like me, but nothing really feels cold to me anymore. I don’t know, something is telling me that he is. Why, what does it say in there Tuck?” He leaned forward and squinted to try and read the notes but his friend’s webcams were minimized.<br/><br/>“It says fire cores are about as rare as ice cores, but those with fire are typically feeders because their cores tend to burn up energy at much faster rates than others, so they have to replenish that energy with some sort of outside source, hence draining other ghosts.” The text screen disappeared and they were looking at Tucker’s face once more.<br/><br/>Danny pondered that for a moment. It sounded a bit painful, if not absolutely exhausting. No wonder Vlad wasn’t up for dragging out their last fights.<br/><br/>“That could be helpful later, but we still need to figure out how to find him.” Ah Sam, ever the voice of reason. “Danny, was there anything else that Clockwork said? Did he put emphasis on a phrase or did he maybe give you a look while saying something-”<br/><br/>Danny immediately shot up in his chair, “Oh! Yeah! Uh, he said ‘follow your gut’ in a weird way but I hadn’t really thought anything of it at the time.”<br/><br/>Sam nodded, “Okay, that’s… something. We know he couldn’t have meant for you to actually go with your gut and trust your instincts or something, that’s not mysterious enough for him…”<br/><br/>Tucker perked up, “Could he have been talking about your own core? You said it had been weird the past couple months, maybe you have new powers?”<br/><br/>“Yeah,” Danny mumbled, “I should probably see Frostbite or something…” As if it could sense it was being talked about Danny’s core vibrated once more, making Danny shudder visibly.<br/><br/>“The timing seems a bit suspicious though, don’t you think?” Tucker was still looking through notes. “Let me see if we have any more info about cores. Technus usually gets back to me within a minute or- oh, cool. Here we go then.”<br/><br/>Sam and Danny waited for him to skim through for a few minutes before he lifted his head, looking disturbed.<br/><br/>“What’s up, Tuck?”<br/><br/>Wide green eyes looked at the camera. “Well, we know that most ghosts are people who have passed, likely with some obsession with 'unfinished business' as they say, but other entities are <em>born</em> I guess. Or, well, more like manifested.” He blathered not unlike Jack Fenton, waving his hand as he broke down his findings.<br/><br/>“Clockwork would be a perfect example. Beings like him would begin in a kind of fledgling state while their core grew and absorbed energy. Ghosts who simply died obsessed with something have their core intact upon becoming, well, undead. They’re weaker than ghosts like Clockwork because their core is made up of some element of their obsession- Skulker’s obsession with hunting, which might be why his core is probably electricity, him being like a terminator thing and all." Tucker screen-shared the information, along with a diagram of Skulker's latest form. "He can upgrade, but his core can’t grow or soak up energy like that.” <br/><br/>Danny and Sam absorbed what they could from that, Sam being the first to formulate a question. “So how did Clockwork come to be then? If he never lived or died, who made him?”<br/><br/>Tucker shrugged, “That I don’t know, your guess is as good as mine there. Who knows the powers that be?” He said in a joking wistful tone.<br/><br/>This time Danny cut in, albeit uselessly, “Still not following what this has to do with anything.”<br/><br/>“Well, you never exactly died, and you have been growing still, in both forms…”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t like where any of this was going. His eyes narrowed dangerously unbeknownst to him.<br/><br/>The technogeek pursed his lips and glanced away from his computer, looking uncomfortable with being the bearing of what was undoubtedly bad, if not inconvenient news. “Right, well, anyways… This is where you and Vlad appear to be unique. You both died, and yet you didn’t die." Skulker's image was replaced with Clockwork's likeness.<br/><br/>"We can assume that your ghost half comes from some sort of internal obsession like a regular ghost, but you’re both very adaptable anomalies. You also manifested those ghost halves while still consciously living and existing in this plane.” He looked at the camera once again, “That’s what has me thinking that your core is maturing more like Clockwork’s might have. Think about the timing with your eighteenth- of all of the weird ghost pains showing up.”</p><p>Sam hums, “So Danny’s core is acting super weird right around the time that Vlad stops being able to control his core’s hunger for ectoplasmic energy. Clockwork tells you to trust your gut to find Masters. That’s too coincidental.” Danny balks at the implications.<br/><br/>“You think it’s connected somehow? Like, me and Vlad? No way.” He felt slightly flushed at the thought.<br/><br/>“Pfft, duh?” Tucker scoffs. “You two are the only half-ghosts in existence and you don’t even think some telepathic sci-fi shit is on the table? Plus you suddenly have teeth like him? Dude, I’m almost positive that you guys are supernaturally tethered somehow.”<br/><br/>Sam’s jaw dropped, “You think Danny is making… No way, I’m sure Vlad has just found some way to make his creepiness contagious, like… like a fucking miasma! Danny is like this because he’s reacting to Vlad’s evil essence or something!”<br/><br/>“Hey!” Danny shouted. “I’m not creepy! And fangs are cool!” He huffed, folding his arms. “This is so rich coming from the town goth freak.”<br/><br/>Sam simply threw her hands in the air, a wild shrug of ‘I’m just spit-balling!’ with her brows disappearing under her bangs.<br/><br/>Tuker shook his head knowingly, “Nah, I think it’s the other way around. Your life is already so weird. Y’all tethered.” And a smug smirk took over his face as he soaked up Danny’s mortified expression. This was hilarious. So terrible, but so hilarious.<br/><br/>Danny sat back in his chair with a huff. “Ugh, God, maybe you’re right. Our only real differences are our cores. That and the fact that he’s evil as fuck.” <em>Not evil, self serving...</em> Danny shook his head to dispel Clockwork's voice. <br/><br/>“There’s that.” Tucker hummed. "But it wouldn't surprise me if y'all were. It's like the last unicorns."<br/><br/>Danny wondered what the universe had against him.</p><p>With a bit of a slump Danny went on, “So, ‘follow my gut’. Presumably that means that I should be able to find him with my senses alone. The only problem is that after all this time practicing the ice powers, I’ve never had to deal with the weird buzzy sensations until recently. It’s a completely new… power? How do I use this?”<br/><br/>Sam’s face scrunched up in thought before softly clapping her hands together when an idea struck her, “Try going ghost and thinking about Plasmius, or imagining where he might be. Maybe it’s like a compass?” Danny thought he could see amusement in her eyes, like she was finding this just as humorous as Tuck.<br/><br/>Danny sighed, wondering if that was such a bad idea. He shrugged after a moment, letting the white rings envelope his body and change him. Sam was clearly joking but her suggestion suited Clockworks wording too well, so it wouldn't hurt to try honing in on Vlad. His friends stayed silent as he closed his now green eyes and took a deep breath, focusing for all he was worth on the the thought of locating Vlad Plasmius. It was almost too easy to feel for the other halfa's ectosignature, Danny being quite familiar with it after years playing the older man's games.<br/><br/>He audibly groaned at the intense vibration from his core at the thought of the other half ghost, this time making his very skin tingle almost unpleasantly. That had to be coincidental, right?<br/><br/>“You okay Danny?”<br/><br/>He nodded, waiting to adjust to the feeling before responding. “Yeah, no, I’m good. Just lemme think…” He got no answer from them so he refocused his mind and sought out his nemesis once more.<br/><br/>It was definitely <em> something </em> like a compass, but instead of direction he got another wave of annoying tinglies and vibrations. Something popped into his head, almost like a thought that wasn’t his own.<br/><br/>“It feels… I can tell that he’s not here. I mean in this plane. He’s definitely somewhere in the Ghost Zone, I’m almost positive.” Danny couldn’t conceptualize how he just <em> knew</em>, he didn’t know if it would make a lot of sense to them if he said his core had a brain with, like, psychic powers.<br/><br/>His friends nodded, “That’s good,” Sam said, “Now we know for sure that you or your core is reactive to him. Or his. Whatever, we know we’re capable of tracking him to some extent- now we can start planning.”<br/><br/>Danny winced, “Sam…”<br/><br/>“I don’t want to hear it Danny, we’re coming with you.” She snapped, and Tucker nodded dutifully along with her.<br/><br/>“Guys, if Vlad is somewhere that even he can’t get out of then wherever that is must be pretty dangerous…”<br/><br/>Tucker gave him a challenging stare, “Dude, is there any safe place in the Ghost Zone? Besides, you have to keep in mind that Vlad is most likely super weak right now, hopefully, and we can walk through literally anything out there, like no matter what. We'll be fine.”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, not liking that Tucker was right. He always did better with his friends at his side anyway, three heads being better than one. He also had to admit that they had been training the last few years too. Neither of them were the scrawny teens they once were, and they were quite adept with weapons after all this time too. They trained right along with him, in different ways of course, but they had grown in their skills as much as he had.<br/><br/>“You’re totally right,” he conceded. “Tomorrow is Friday. Let’s meet up here after school lets out- bring your gear. We’ll give our parents the ‘Relay Race’ alibi. After we get here we’ll take the Speeder and go to the GZ and go from there.” The Relay Race was when they all told their parents different, but circular stories. Sam would say she’s going to Tucker’s, Tuck would tell his parent’s he’d be at the Fentons all weekend, Danny would of course say he was hanging out at Sam’s. Pretty much foolproof since they were losers and didn’t get into trouble like the more rebellious ones their age- their parents wouldn’t even bother to follow up.<br/><br/>“How do we get the Speeder with your parents home?”<br/><br/>Danny folded his arms, a scheming smirk on his face. “I think I’ve got that covered.”<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Skulker narrowly dodges a well-aimed beam of anti-spectral energy from Maddie Fenton’s bazooka while firing off shots from an ecto-blaster. He growled, looking back to his old prey’s lair as he flew away from it. Skulker could see the half-ghost and his little humans smirking from the top window.<br/><br/>“You owe me you little Whelp!” He yelled raggedly as he jerked away from the reach of that damned thermos.<br/><br/>“OH, almost had him Jack!” With his parents occupied outside, the trio was free to do what they needed to do without running the risk of the Fentons seeing anything.<br/><br/>The three laughed at the hunter's plight, despite the fact that Skulker had come to their aid. Danny shouted from the window he'd phased his head through. “Isn’t Ember’s cell number enough to pay my debt?” But Skulker was already too far away to hear Danny’ quip.</p><p>Tucker’s eyebrows shot up, “Do ghosts even have phones?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, leaning back inside, “I don’t know, I was bluffing.” Another round of snickers before he added, “I should probably at least put in a good word though.”<br/><br/>He grabbed their hands and phased them down to the basement and into the speeder. “Alright guys, here we go.” Danny sounded more nervous than any of them would have liked. He slammed his hand on the button that opened the portal and floated over to join them in the cockpit before they took off. Once they were in the Ghost Zone Tucker looked back at him from the controls.<br/><br/>“Alright man, turn on that Plasmius navigation and lead the way.” Danny fixed him with a dead-pan stare.<br/><br/>“We both know it doesn’t work like that.”<br/><br/>Tucker snorted, because they actually <em>didn't</em> know. “Oh, alright, then please tell me how it works?” <br/><br/>“You guys, whatever,” Sam groaned, “just do your core thing!”<br/><br/>“Okay! Shut up!” He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his core. It felt like meditation a little. With the right breathing, the awful feeling in his gut mellowed, and he could almost feel himself being pushed- no, more like pulled in a certain direction now that they were in the Ghost Zone. With his eyes still closed Danny suggested they veer right. They traveled that way for awhile before the halfa doubled over at a particularly violent tremor from his ghostly insides.<br/><br/>“Left.” He bit out. He knew they were on course when he didn’t feel like dying, but being on course wasn’t exactly a ‘pleasant’ feeling either. He felt nervous, anxious even. Like being on stage and giving a speech while wearing a dress in roller-skates.<br/><br/>But at least it didn’t hurt.<br/><br/>Danny could tell they were close as the feeling intensified and morphed into something else. It was still those nauseating butterflies, but he was also beginning to feel like a bottle of soda that had been shaken way too much. Not to mention that empty, hungry feeling.<br/><br/>It was driving him mad, like his top was about to blow any second.<br/><br/>“Hey wait,” Sam looked down at their map. “We’ve been here before.”<br/><br/>Danny opened his eyes for the first time since beginning their expedition. The familiar surroundings sparked an equally familiar dread that mixed right in with the anxiety pooling in his stomach.<br/><br/>“Clockwork said Vlad was being watched by a dear friend?” Tuck questioned, though he knew that’s what Danny had said the night before. “Uh, since when is Clockwork friends with Walker?”<br/><br/>Sure enough, after a few minutes the ghostly prison was in sight. They ‘parked’ the speeder behind a floating land mass. “Well, shit.” Sam said.<br/><br/>Danny aggressively shook his head, “Nah, no way. I don’t think Clockwork has ever even talked about Walker, much less interacted with him.”<br/><br/>Tucker contemplated this for a bit, “Then why did your ‘gut’ bring us here? Could you be wrong?” They began backtracking the Speeder a bit, finding a floating island big enough, and just close enough, to conceal the vehicle from the guards patrolling the prison.</p><p>Danny was shaking his head before he even knew what he was doing. He refocused, seeking out that opposite core he'd recognize a mile away. He could almost envision the link between the two. He felt his core become restless as they drew farther away to hide, as if it were warning him he was headed in the wrong direction. Creepy.<br/><br/>“No, this is definitely it. I don’t really get how I know, but I <em>know</em> Plasmius is in there…” His top lip curled. He didn’t like that he could sense Vlad. He actually felt a bit disturbed, if not repulsed by the fact that they truly seemed to be connected somehow. It had always been present, but never this <em>palpable. </em>"I'm sure of it."<br/><br/>Sam nodded, “I trust you.”<br/><br/>Tucker shrugged, “Eh, good enough for me. So... now what?”<br/><br/>Danny alternated eye contact with his friends as they began to figure out their next move. “Now we know that Vlad is missing because he’s being held prisoner somehow-”<br/><br/>“And is that really so awful? Should we actually unleash Vlad Plasmius back into the world?”<br/><br/>“Believe me, Sam, I’m right there with you, but Clockwork said that we need to stop him.”<br/><br/>Tucker clicked his teeth, “Walker seems to have that covered, man.”<br/><br/>Danny shook his head, “It has to be me and it has to be now. That's what he said. Just because Walker may have him now, doesn’t mean that will last. When Vlad eventually busts out on his own, I have this feeling there will be hell to pay, and we’ll <em>all</em> be paying for it." Of course that <em>feeling</em> was heavily influenced by Clockwork's warnings, but he did feel a certain dread.<br/><br/>He tried another angle, an idea that he'd tossed around himself. "Maybe if we’re the ones to bust him out he won’t destroy us and everything we love and care about. Maybe we can even form some kind of alliance or something. We don’t know until we do this.”<br/><br/>His friends eventually nodded solemnly, and deep down, he couldn’t agree with their thoughts more, but he knew what he had to do. Clockwork gave him a job. <br/><br/>They leaned into a huddle to formulate the next step in their search and rescue mission. “First,” Danny began, “We’ll need to find out which part of the prison he’s in. My first guess would be right in the middle, that’s where Walker held me last time. It’s the most secure, all of the stronger ghosts are locked up there.”</p><p>“Braggy much?” Danny shot his ex-girlfriend a silencing glare, easily matching her sass.<br/><br/>Tucker seemed to be taking notes on his PDA, “Then we… bust him out? We have no idea <em> how </em> he’s being held prisoner in there, what if we can’t get him out? What if we get stuck here somehow?”<br/><br/>Sam agreed, “Tucker makes a good point, Danny. If it’s something that Vlad can’t even escape from then how do we know we can? And if Vlad is a vampire then why even free him? Is this really worth it?”<br/><br/>Danny shook his head, fighting off a wave of nausea, or what felt like nausea. “Look, if the guy in charge of fucking time tells you to do something you just do it.” He snapped. “I tried to come without you, but you insisted, so here we are. I am <em> not </em> about to fail and have another fucked up future timeline! <em> I’m not! </em> ” Sam and Tucker’s heads reared back a moment, their eyes wide. Danny deflated, brows drifting apart from their angry frown.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry, it’s just… Clockwork made this seem extremely important and necessary, if not mandatory, if I want to maintain a future not shrouded in darkness and all that. Ha-ha.” He tried to laugh it off, the sound so flat that it almost <em>was</em> humorous. He put out his hands and his friends, very reluctantly, each grabbed one and floated out into the ghost zone with the halfa.</p><p>He didn’t like to talk about it with them, but his first time travel experience still stuck with him to this day. Danny shivered, thoughts of Phantom from the future never failing to chill even him. He joked about it when he could, sure, but the pure evil he felt rolling off of that ghost invoked such guilt and panic in his nightmares that he'd had dark circles under his sleepless eyes ever since.<br/><br/>Danny pushed the ghost’s visage from his head and peaked over their hiding spot before looking back to his friends, floating with him as he held them in place. “We’re all able to walk through the walls as humans, but you two are the only ones capable of touching anti-ghost gear without frying. Therefore, I’m putting you both in charge of taking care of those kind of roadblocks if they pop up. If it’s a situation that requires fighting I will of course take the lead, but if I need backup Sam comes in with the wrist ray and the thermos.”<br/><br/>He looked down just to double check that they each had their weapons around their wrists. When he saw they were both present and already activated he gave a pleased nod.<br/><br/>“Alright, so we’ll bust through from the bottom…”<br/><br/>"You mean phase through?"<br/><br/>"Oh my god, yes, Tucker..."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oof, those hunger pains...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Awakening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It should be extremely obvious by now that I don't know this website... Forgive me for any strange formatting.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Tucker was sweating profusely as he desperately fiddled and picked at the last lock on the chamber door. After creating a distraction at the two opposite entryways of the prison, they had indeed floated up into a hallway from the ground and immediately took off as Danny ‘followed his gut’. Their idea of a distraction was freeing several low level offenders into the main halls of the prison, so they had so far been undisturbed in their search for quite awhile.<br/><br/>But all good things have to end sometime.<br/><br/>They had finally made it to the higher security chambers and were deactivating the anti-ghost fields around the room, so Danny could go through with them, when not only the guards, but a number of vengeful prisoners ran up on them. <br/><br/>Tucker yelped and turned to fry a uniformed guard-ghost that got too close, going straight back to cracking the mechanism that was isolating the prison cell Danny told them Vlad <em>had</em> to be in. Tuck phased through the door to work at the other side of the mechanism to shut it down, even if only for a moment. <br/><br/>Sam sucked up what had to be the tenth ghost to disappear into the thermos and shouted back, “Any day now Tucker!” She was being pushed back and nearly had her back to the door. Danny was shooting blast after blast into the swarm, his perpetually glowing form seeming to shake like a leaf, but they couldn’t tell if it was adrenaline or exhaustion.<br/><br/>The halfa suddenly turned to shout back at them, “Cover your ears!”<br/><br/>They both knew what that meant. Sam did as she was told and Tucker braced himself for the sound of Danny’s ghostly wail, only able to cringe into his shoulders and not much else. Even from behind the door it was powerful and deeply disturbing, and still <em>very</em> loud, but luckily it was slightly muffled so he could continue to work.<br/><br/>After a short moment of dead silence the lock in front of him beeped three times before the monitor light changed from green to red.<br/><br/>He stuck his head through the door excitedly, “Danny now! I got it!” Danny looked exhausted and Sam had to nearly grab him and fling him through the door before it locked again. She followed not a second after. <br/><br/>The light beeped and a shock wave rolled under their feet as the anti-ghost barrier dropped from the ceiling to resecure the room, effectively sequestering the group within what appeared to be the most advanced cell Walker had available in the prison. The walls were covered in metal plates, each with lights and cords and wires of incomprehensible ghost-tech. The second thing they noticed was the blazing temperature of the room. After recovering from the shock they all focused their sites on the center of the room where the visible heat waves attempted to skew the sight of their objective.<br/><br/>With their mouths hanging open they slowly approached what looked to be a chair- or rather something closer to a metal recliner, but with bolts and straps up and down the sides. Vlad was held there with metal bindings around his ankles and wrists, the restraints holding his arms flush to the arms of the chair. It looked like some kind of torture device, but it didn’t <em>seem</em> to have anti-ghost properties, so Vlad should be able to phase through it. Danny pondered it for a moment before he could finally bring his eyes up to Vlad’s face.<br/><br/>He had what appeared to be a complicated muzzle across his mouth. The device was mechanical and looked to be powered by some sort of energy, undoubtedly ectoplasm, of which the man already had short supply, so it was unlikely his own. It encompassed the entire bottom half of his face, with only a small rectangular slit stretching horizontally over where his mouth would be. It wasn’t necessary for breathing since Vlad was currently Plasmius, so Danny could only wonder what purpose it served. Glowing, wire-like tubes were connected to an equally luminescent collar around his neck, a couple weaving their way through his dark locks that fell rather limply around his face for once, some continuing down to connect to his bare chest under his open suit. <br/><br/>Danny was mesmerized by the rise and fall of the muscles underneath all of the strange restraints as his nemesis breathed shallow but steady breaths. Plasmius was breathing. Why? <br/><br/>“He’s sleeping.” Danny said daftly after awhile. He was in ghost mode, breathing and sleeping?<br/><br/>His friends didn’t tease him. They all seemed to realize together that they had never before seen Plasmius sleep. Of course Vlad Masters slept, but Plasmius? No, what for? Feeling safe for now, they inched closer and closer, sure that his eyes would snap open at any moment.<br/><br/>Tucker leaned in to look at the collar and muzzle, “Do you think it’s induced? By these <em>things</em> maybe?”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t answer, still just staring. The closer he got to Vlad the better his core felt, which was odd, but made sense with the compass business. It didn’t feel particularly good or anything, but that gnawing aching that had been plaguing him was suddenly gone. The warmth he felt upon getting closer though, that was definitely pleasant. It felt like curling up under the covers in front of a fire after walking through a blizzard. <br/><br/>He tore his eyes from Vlad’s pale blue skin with a neon blush and a grimace, turning himself human in an attempt to banish the feeling and glow, and so that he could remove the anti-ghost restraints. He didn’t have time for basking in that warmth, as nice as it was. <br/><br/>Danny recklessly reached over to examine the muzzle himself only to have electricity surge through him before buzzing around the collar underneath his fingers. They all jumped in surprise before gathering themselves, Danny taking the longest. Sam’s brows nearly furrowed into one as she stepped closer to the demonic looking ghost. <br/><br/>“What the hell? Aren’t you supposed to be able to touch this in human form?” She reached forward and Danny was about to shout a warning not to do that when her hand made contact with the collar without interference. After a second she yanked her hand back, but not from shock. <br/><br/>“It’s super hot…” <br/><br/>They all locked eyes. With a frown Tucker placed his hand on the muzzle like Sam and Danny to test and see if humanity was the cause of the shock but received no reaction from the device. Danny looked unsure but he was determined. He jerked his hand forward to the collar with his ectoplasm forming at his fingertips thinking he could perhaps blast it off. He grinned briefly as his hand made contact, only to receive a shock much more powerful than before and with an agonized cry he was suddenly forced into ghost form. </p><p>Flares of electricity still sparked around him as he slowly got up, shuddering violently. That had to be his absolute least favorite feeling. “That thing… has gotta go.” He wheezed. Danny remembers times where he’d been forced human, but never ghost...<br/><br/>“How is this not waking him up?” Tucker questioned. <br/><br/>Sam shook her head in confusion, “Maybe it <em> is </em> putting him to sleep?” She looked up as visible electricity continued to spark from Danny in small waves. “Danny, I don’t think this thing is anti-ghost, or even anti-human. I think it’s anti-halfa…” <br/><br/>The way Tucker began tinkering with his tools with no repercussions only seemed to confirm the theory. The collar was keeping Vlad in his ghostly form, likely so he couldn’t phase through everything in the prison as a human. “How would they figure out the mechanics of that?” Danny asked, starting to feel concerned for his own well being now. <br/><br/>“It’s familiar stuff,” Tuck began, “but I couldn’t deconstruct any of it any time soon. It’s like not our designs…” He sighed and looked a bit far away despite being fixed on the spectral technology in front of him. <br/><br/>Then Tucker looked up as if suddenly inspired, “This may be too foreign or advanced to crack right now, but with your ice powers I think we can freeze it and <em> then </em> fry it. Danny, give it your best shot, or rather your coldest, and we can bust him outta here!” </p><p>Suddenly the halfa became determined and began releasing his core energy in its most concentrated and devastating form. The sweltering temperature of the room suddenly dropped and a biting frost began to eat at the collar around his archenemy’s neck. Danny’s eyes began to bleed blue and the mist from his breath was so icy that his lips began turning blue. Sam and Tucker began to shiver, frost beginning to coat their skin like Vlad’s collar.<br/><br/>Vlad himself however remained warm to the touch. <br/><br/>A blue glow began seeping from Danny’s mouth as he pushed to expel more of his core onto Vlad, focusing a sub-zero freeze on the contraption that had zapped him so mercilessly. His core was aching again, but this time he was sure it was because he was running out of energy. He used to be able to do this all day, but with the recent pains, and the fact that the room was a million degrees to begin with, the ghost boy feared he wouldn’t be enough. <br/><br/>Suddenly the glowing wires began to dull and the metal of the collar cracked loudly. Needing no more encouragement, blue eyes gave way to green and Danny finally got to zap the collar back, effectively neutralizing it. <br/><br/>“Yeah boy!” Tucker reached up to high five him over Vlad’s still unconscious body. <br/><br/>Sam poked at him, “Shouldn’t he be waking up now?” She carefully began disconnecting the cords, making sure not to touch any part of the half ghost beneath them. <br/><br/>Danny raised a brow, moving back and tugging at Vlad’s hair to get a reaction. Somehow it looked even more vampiric down. He’d never seen it down in this form before. It looked longer now. He always wondered how it felt. It was softer than he imagined it would be...<br/><br/>Danny tugged harder, as if it would banish that last thought. Vlad still didn’t respond. <br/><br/>“I just don’t get-” <br/><br/>His friends and the room around him disappeared into thin air and Danny felt like he’d suddenly been pulled underwater for a moment, swallowed by a deafening silence and his vision going dark before a familiar voice crept into his ears. <br/><br/>“Ah, he said you would come. Long time no see, Danny Phantom.” He knew that voice from somewhere. Danny turned back and was greeted by a scene that looked oddly familiar. He was looking into the future again, the one where Vlad had married his mom and had fathered him and Jazz- but this time Vlad was Plasmius. <br/><br/>“Wh-What the hell. Who are you? What is this?” He watched himself descend the stairs in a sharp looking suit, smiling happily down at his ‘family’. <br/><br/>He was enveloped by what could only be described as night and looked up to see Nocturne looming over him from behind. “It is Vlad’s early and uncorrupted desire from his human form, colliding with his present desires in his ghost form. Viewer discretion is advised.” The ghost laughed darkly, looking forward and grabbing Danny’s face to force him to watch as well.</p><p><em>“You two go on, Daniel and I will meet you outside.” Plasmius turned to look down at his unassuming son. “We just need to have a father-son chat is all.” The woman smiled and went on outside, the large front doors echoing loudly as they shut.</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>Danny walked up to his father, seemingly unbothered by the man’s ghost form, “What’s up Dad?” He pulled at the tie around his neck to loosen it a bit, “Whew, is it getting hot out or what?”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>Vlad smirked down at him, placing a hand on his head and threading his fingers through his raven hair. “Hmm, I suppose you could even say it’s overheating. That’s what I want to talk about Daniel. You’ve always been so cold to me when I’ve reached out you, my dear boy,”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>Danny looked confused, “What do you mean, Da-”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>Flames erupted at the seams of the dream, flickering in the background now. “Do not interrupt, Daniel.” He pulled his ‘son’ close. “As much as that chilliness hurt my spirit, it seemed to quell another demanding hunger within me." He held Danny's head against his chest, his core.<br/><br/>"Only you can keep it from burning me up, Little Badger.” He pulled Danny out of the hug to hold his shoulders, leaning down so they were face to face. “Daniel, my boy, will you help me once more? Will you cool this overwhelming fire that threatens to burn your dear father alive?”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>Dream-Danny looked horrified at the thought of losing him, “Of course! I’d do anything to help you, Dad! I lov-”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em><em>“Perfect.”  Vlad growled. He reeled back, unceremoniously yanking Danny’s head back by his hair and closing his jaws around the front of the boy's throat. Poor Dream-Danny could make no sound as the flames rose around him, and with a disgusting squelch Vlad yanked his still-closed jaws from Danny’s neck, effectively and completely ripping out his throat. Green dripped down the man’s face and neck as his son collapsed lifelessly to the ground, eyes blank and empty.</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em>“Time out!” Roared Nocturne, and the scene before them froze. Nocturne glanced down at the halfa with a touch of pride. “Learned that little trick from Clockwork.”<br/><br/>Danny stood stock-still, completely shell-shocked, as anyone would be after witnessing their own gruesome murder. He eventually looked back up into the larger ghost’s blazing red eyes.<br/><br/>“Nocturne…” Of course. Of course the ghost of sleep and the ghost of time are ‘dear friends’, as the latter had said. Sleep and time were two things that most people, like him, didn’t have enough of. “This isn’t… What Clockwork showed me…”<br/><br/>“No,” the ghost agreed, “It isn’t the future. I can only manipulate time in dreams, but that doesn’t mean these things will happen by any means. This is Vlad’s own mind. I had nothing to do with conjuring these images.”<br/><br/>Danny gulped, “That’s not very comforting at all.”<br/><br/>Nocturne let out a laugh at that, a raspy, spooky sound that was nearly pleasant.<br/><br/>Nearly. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t be.” He walked, or rather glided, over to the intrude into the paused dream. Danny reluctantly followed until they were peering behind a desk at the other end of the room. Under that desk Danny was surprised to find Vlad Masters hugging his knees to his chest looking hopelessly lost. </p><p>The young halfa sheepishly looked back up the pathetic form to Nocturne’s face in search of answers. “This.. is the corruption Clockwork was referring to? He’s being taken over by his ghost half.” Danny murmured, more of a speculation to himself. It was like Vlad's mind was separating him from Plasmius, or the other way around. “That’s what’s gonna make him snap and start draining ghosts?”<br/><br/>Nocturne hummed at that, not entirely disagreeing. “Mmm, he’s being taken over by his core. Think of it like he’s resisting solar flares from within his own body, while simultaneously suppressing an alternate personality.” The night-like ghost grandly gestured to both of Vlad’s forms. “In some sense, the subconscious is all a ghost really is. His core manifests his physical ghostly body from the obsession the core itself is made of. His physical human being is not currently in sync with the ectoplasmic turmoil befalling his spirit and core, and is therefore no longer stable.” <br/><br/>Danny’s mouth hung open dumbly, feeling like he was sitting in on a class much too advanced for him. Nocturne seemed to sense this and gave a pause until Danny quickly nodded his head to prompt him to continue. He understood, but what do you say to something like that? <br/><br/>Nocturne pursed his purplish lips a moment in thought. “When Walker captured him in this power-deprived state, Clockwork asked me to put his mind into a sort of stasis until we could find a way to salvage his humanity. I hear that’s an extremely vital part of you halfas.” The dark ghost peered at him not unlike an owl, almost asking him to confirm or deny the statement. <br/><br/>“Huh, no kidding…” Danny mumbled instead, eyes tracking Nocturne’s starry form. “How am I supposed to stop this?” <br/><br/>To that Nocturne gave him an incredulous look. Slowly his red eyes drifted to the frozen scene before them and Danny’s did the same. They focused on the large dripping fangs that had dug into his neck, Vlad’s mouth overflowing with green- “My ectoplasm?!” He jerked back to Nocturne who was nothing but a mischievously grinning face fading into darkness. <br/><br/>Danny was violently pushed from Vlad’s subconscious. When he blinked back into reality he saw angry red eyes glaring straight into his skull, he could almost feel the look boiling his brain. <br/><br/>Vlad jerked his arm from the metal binding of the chair, not even bothering to phase through. This naturally terrified the humans in the room, who had fallen on their buts when Danny disappeared and reappeared. After seeing Vlad so awake and aggressive they had decided to stay there. <br/><br/>Plasmius began to manifest bright pinkish energy in his hands as he ripped himself the rest of the way out of the chair, jerking the tubes from his blue skin in the process, never breaking his stare with Danny the entire time. <br/><br/>His long black hair now spilled over his shoulders and into his eyes as he glared unblinkingly from the boy’s eyes, to his throat, to his mouth, then back to his eyes again. Danny unwittingly touched his throat, freshly aware of what Vlad needed from him to survive. They were both halfas, it kind of made sense. Danny just wished that lower level ghosts could sustain Vlad a bit longer, he didn’t feel ready for something like this, and it didn’t seem like something that one could ease into. <br/><br/>A loud ruckus began to grow in volume outside the door, drawing everyone’s attention to the front of the room. <br/><br/>Danny jerked forward, grabbing his friends and helping them up. “We’ll explain later, we gotta get out of here.” Danny paused as he looked back to Vlad and he made a move to take the muzzle-contraption off the older halfa’s face. His wrist was caught in a painfully firm grip. Wordlessly they locked eyes and Vlad slowly shook his head no. Danny retracted his advance with a shrug. It was deactivated, Vlad could turn human so now they could get phase through the walls of the ghost prison. That’s all that really mattered right then. <br/><br/>He went from Phantom to Fenton and gripped his friend’s hands, taking off in the opposite direction from the door. He felt rather than saw Vlad transform into his human form before following them. They deactivated the shield, a much easier feat from the inside, and they easily phased through each wall until they finally reached the back entryway. <br/><br/>Walker and his goons were waiting for him. <br/><br/>“Did you really think you could break into my prison and then leave with a souvenir?” He laughed, and a chorus of laughter answered him from his guards. “You and your freaky father belong to me, Phantom.” <br/><br/>Danny went ghost again, his thoughts briefly flashed back to the dream he witnessed as he shot Vlad a look before glaring at Walker. “Dude, so not my father.” And with an ectoplasmic blast the battle was on. <br/><br/>Sam and Tucker stayed on the ground back to back covering both each other and the flying halfas. Vlad may not have been in the best condition with no energy and a chaotic core, but he was making it work for him. After he changed back to Plasmius he started literally burning through the guards, his elemental energy thoroughly out of wack, pushing to get to Walker with whom he seemed to have a vendetta. Vlad reminded Danny of The Human Torch from his comics, and the distracting thought got him buried under a dog pile of uniformed ghosts, obscuring his vision of the older halfa.<br/><br/>Danny blew away the four guards who pounced on him and whipped around just in time to see Vlad grip Walker by the neck. “What?” the warden said smugly, “No smart remarks or sassy banter? But you were so chatty when I hooked you up to my electric chair. I do gotta thank ya for the muzzle-collar-contraption, it went so nicely with my chambe-” and suddenly Walker was choking, but not from the pressure around his throat.<br/><br/>Vlad nearly strangled Danny every other time they met, he knew when someone was being choked out- this was something else.<br/><br/>He watched on in horror as red hot energy crept from the small slit of the muzzle and what looked to be burning veins of pink-hot energy crept over Walker’s choking, sputtering form, literally burning the warden alive from the inside out. Danny witnessed him pretty much dissolve, half melting, half crumbling from Vlad’s glowing, clawed hand. With their warden gone, the guards fell back, having gotten more than an eyeful of his demise. The younger halfa flew down to retrieve his friends at the edge of the floating rock and they began flying in the direction where they hid their transportation.<br/><br/>Plasmius hesitated at first but eventually followed when he saw Danny glance back at him expectantly. <br/><br/>When they finally reached the Specter Speeder and phased through and Tucker was immediately at the controls to get them out of there. It was silent.<br/><br/>The tension in the air was palpable as everyone caught their breath and gathered their thoughts. Tucker hated that he had to be the one to speak first.<br/><br/>“So… Where are we going?”<br/><br/>Danny looked up at him with a raised brow, “Uh, to the porta-? Oh.” and his lips pursed in thought. Sam seemed to come to the same realization.<br/><br/>“Yeah, I guess we can’t exactly just drive the speeder back with Plasm- Vlad on board. How would we explain that?” She corrected herself quickly thinking she’d caught a glare in the ghost’s eyes but she realized that no, they always look like that. Vlad didn’t really care what she called him.<br/><br/>He still allowed people to call him The Wisconsin Ghost after all…<br/><br/>“We can’t return yet anyway, Danny’s parents are probably home right now.” Tuck brought up a good point.<br/><br/>Danny folded his arms and sat back against his seat. He had an idea that he didn’t want to voice. As he dared a look at the ragged halfa a few feet away he found that glowing red eyes were already boring into him. Plasmius suddenly turned to Masters, Danny suspected it was so that everyone could better see his eyes roll dramatically, but it revealed the rough state of his human form as well.<br/><br/>What was left of his suit hung from his nearly bare upper half in tatters. The fabric looked singed as opposed to ripped and his body was covered in burns, bruises and sweat. Danny’s eyes even followed a bead of sweat from his brow to where it disappeared once it met the muzzle that still wrapped around the lower half of his head. His silver hair was darker with the moisture and it stuck to the sides of his face and neck. Danny couldn't tear his eyes away.<br/><br/>Vlad finally spoke, the first sound they heard from him outside of a growl all day. His speech was not as flowing or dramatic as it usually was, “My portal.” He ground out simply, and Danny realized that the muzzle must be holding Vlad’s jaws together, rather painfully if he had to guess. </p><p>Despite this, somehow Vlad still managed to exude an air of snootiness as he put his nose in the air and gracefully walked to the controls. With only a look he easily banished Tucker from the driver's seat and took over. The speeder veered off to the right and smoothly maneuvered through the Ghost Zone for awhile until they could see the blinding bright pink portal sitting upon a decent sized floating rock. <br/><br/>“Huh,” Tucker’s lips pulled down in a curious frown, having never gotten this close to Vlad’s territory. “I always thought it would be another castle. Like Clockwork’s, or a spookier version of the castle in Wisconsin.” Vlad shot a glare behind him as they landed, slowly easing the Speeder through and into his dim lab. <br/><br/>With that he powered down the vehicle and stood before turning around to face the young trio. He struggled to speak around the muzzle as his gaze shifted to each of them before landing on Danny, his eyes flashing mysteriously. “You may stay here until noon tomorrow. Do not disturb me.” His voice was slurred ever so slightly, the lisp sapping some of the dignity from his usual tone. <br/><br/>He went intangible and walked out of the speeder, still appearing as Masters when his image returned to their sight, and then he casually strode upstairs into his home without another word. <br/><br/>Tucker’s jaw dropped as they all sat there, still in their seats wondering what to do <em> now </em> ? <br/><br/>Sam sucked her teeth, “Notice how he didn’t even say thank you?” <br/><br/>Danny and Tucker stared at her. “You expected a thank you from Masters?” <br/><br/>“You’re right, to be honest. We’re lucky he didn’t just eat us.” <br/><br/>That reminded Danny what he would have to do soon. He sat up straighter, looking at his hands while his friends continued to discuss Vlad’s evil tendencies, surprisingly able to laugh. Danny was too distracted by the thought of having his throat ripped out. Would ghost healing even take care of something like that? He cringed.<br/><br/>“Hey guys, I’m gonna go find him. A couple things C-dub wanted me to ask…” He half lied. Clockwork hadn’t given him any such instructions verbatim, but if he wanted the answers to his future, and maybe even his own current condition, he would have to roll up his sleeves and do some digging. Or bleeding? <em> Oh God... </em> <br/><br/>“Dude, he told us not to disturb him.” Sam nodded along with Tucker.</p><p>“Yeah Danny, I’d leave him alone. We saved him or whatever, we’re done. We’re lucky he didn’t just ditch us at the prison…” <br/><br/>Danny shook his head, faking a flippant calm, “Nah, I’ll be fine. Besides, he’s weak and he has that thing over his mouth, can't chomp me.” They didn’t look convinced but they knew arguing with Danny was a lost cause when he wanted to do something. <br/><br/>“It was nice knowing ya, man.” <br/><br/>The halfa nods and phases up through the basement ceiling and tries to sense Vlad like he had before. He was nervous. It’s not that he was scared of Vlad, they’d fought so many times that he can’t even remember all of them. It was this new stuff that was getting to him. His core vibrated and he gripped his stomach. It felt <em> so </em> weird. What if that’s how Vlad started? What if he just kept evolving until he was a monster like Plasmius? <br/><br/>Would he turn blue? <br/><br/>Danny reached the fourth floor when the pulling feeling returned with a sharp ache and he knew Vlad was close. A few doors down he could hear water running. A shower. <br/><br/>For some strange reason Danny felt his face heat up and he remembered Vlad’s exposed upper body and all of the wounds tainting the flesh there. The water shutting off quickly pulled his mind from such unsavory thoughts but he shook his head for good measure. <br/><br/><em> Like an Etch-a-Sketch, </em> he thought to himself. <br/><br/>He approached the room, phasing inside and looking around, eyes dutifully avoiding the half open bathroom door. <br/><br/>“Daniel.” He flinched, Vlad’s voice surprised him. He expected the man to say something more but when he heard nothing else he nervously stepped forward and peeked inside. The older halfa’s hair still stuck to him but this time it was clean along with the rest of his body. Vlad had a cream-colored towel wrapped around his waist and a small metal tool in each hand, trying to take apart the muzzle on his face. Or that’s what he assumed the man was doing. <br/><br/>Danny stepped inside, pretending that Vlad being practically naked was definitely not a big deal. </p><p>But he kept <em> staring</em>. <br/><br/>“Um, why don’t you just phase it off? It’s not active anymore.” Vlad paused to roll his eyes before setting his glare on Danny through the mirror. <br/><br/>“I’m not taking it <em>off</em>.” He ground out. <br/><br/>Danny raised a brow, “Won’t that make it hard to consume ectoplasm?” Vlad froze, ever so slowly and dangerously turning to look at the thorn in his side. His eyes were blazing and he flashed into Plasmius, now fully clothed in his usual white garb and marching the short distance up to Danny to glare down at him, silently demanding to know how the boy knew about that. <br/><br/>The younger halfa glowered right back up at him, both annoyed that he had to deal with Vlad’s intimidation tactics and that the man was still a couple inches taller than him. Bastard. “Ghosts talk, Vlad Plasmius. Not like you’d know since you never talk to anyone other than your cat.” <br/><br/>He left out <em> which </em> ghost. Vlad didn’t need to know that Clockwork was pulling the strings behind his rescue, plus Danny finally knew something that Vlad didn’t, and he dared a smug, satisfied look. It was a nice change of pace from Vlad dangling his superior experience and knowledge over Danny’s head and making him feel like an idiot. <br/><br/>Then Vlad had to ruin it. “Clockwork.” He grated out ruefully. <br/><br/>“What?!” Danny gaped at him, astonished that Vlad had guessed right on the very first try, “Sucking ghost’s ectoplasm left and right isn’t exactly discreet. People are bound to find out. You’re a rumor magnet.” Vlad rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that night, a common occurrence for him around Danny Phantom. <br/><br/>“Oh please, Daniel. ‘People’?” He scoffed annoyingly, getting on Danny’s last nerve. “They're <em>ghosts, </em>and no, they don’t talk. The only ghosts who’ve ever seen me feed are now in a place beyond the beyond. The after-afterlife, if there is such a thin- Ugh!” He stops mid-gloat to groan in pain around his muzzle, a sickening popping sound echoing in their ears as his jaw protested all the talking he was trying to do. <br/><br/>Danny grimace, unwillingly empathetic as always. He reached up and turned the muzzle intangible before Vlad could stop him. Danny sees large, terrible teeth bared, grinding harshly as Vlad fought to keep his mouth shut. He quickly turned back into Masters and backed into the sink, shrinking into himself. <br/><br/>Danny smirked down at him, imagining Dracula hiding behind a cape from the sun.</p><p>“Was that so bad Fruit Loop? Come on, get up!” Danny gasped as he was suddenly against the wall in the other room, the bedroom, nearly crushed under the pressure of Vlad holding him there after basically tackling him.<br/><br/>“You absolute fool.” Vlad spat, voice once more a dark, silky cadence that reminded Danny of super villains from suspense-thrillers. “<em>I </em> was the one to put it on in the first place. <em> I </em> went to the prison to steal Walker’s generator to-” <br/><br/>“And you were the one that was too weak and got himself captured and tortured.” Danny pointed out. <br/><br/>He was pushed back further into the wall somehow, cracking it and creating a shallow crater above Vlad’s bed. Just a few more inches until they broke through to the next room. This was it, Vlad was going to rip out his throat just like the man dreamed of doing. <br/><br/>His icy core buzzed at the tension in the air. It was almost waiting for the carnage. Danny did love a fight after all, but this was different. The anticipation seemed to pull him into the fire that was the older halfa’s fury. He could feel his core melting almost, and he wondered if Vlad’s fire dulled around him. He wondered how that fire would taste...<br/><br/>His brain felt fuzzy and the air around Vlad became a red haze. It was so warm, almost too warm… Vlad was yelling something about his smart mouth, how insufferable he was… Danny's eyes were fixed on Vlad’s mouth, namely the teeth he was baring in anger. They did something to him, like a sudden rush of adrenaline to accompany the dizzying vertigo in his head. His eyes suddenly fell to Vlad’s neck and the angry, raised veins there, his lids half mast and heavy as his vision blurred.<br/><br/>And then Danny bit him.</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for the encouragement, I'm glad y'all like it. I have a couple more chapters already typed up but I'm not quite finished with the story as a whole so who knows where this is going man ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Exchange</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>His icy core buzzed at the tension in the air. It was almost waiting for the carnage. Danny did love a fight after all, but this was different. The anticipation seemed to pull him into the fire that was the older halfa’s fury. He could feel his core melting almost, and he wondered if Vlad’s fire dulled around him. He wondered how that fire would taste...</em>
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  <em>His brain felt fuzzy and the air around Vlad became a red haze. It was so warm, almost too warm… Vlad was yelling something about his smart mouth, how insufferable he was… Danny's eyes were fixed on Vlad’s mouth, namely the teeth he was baring in anger. They did something to him, like a sudden rush of adrenaline to accompany the dizzying vertigo in his head. His eyes suddenly fell to Vlad’s neck and the angry, raised veins there, his lids half mast and heavy as his vision blurred.</em>
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  <em>And then Danny bit him.</em>
</p><p>-<br/><br/>Vlad froze, mostly from shock and pain but partly due to the hypnotic, strength-sapping sensation of another being siphoning his core’s energy. Vlad couldn’t believe it was happening to him, and it was <em> naturally </em> Daniel to be the one to do it. Who else would dare? It was as if being an obstacle at Vlad’s every turn was the boy’s one true calling.</p><p>Plasmius had never before been on the receiving end of this kind of exchange, and he'd never wanted to be. He found it ironic that this was how he would die, like so many had before by <em> his </em> hand. Danny followed him down as he limply fell to the bed below, not detaching from him or his neck. Vlad’s core buzzed warmly, not unbearably hot like it had been for the past few months. He shuddered as Danny sunk his teeth deeper. <br/><br/>After a moment Vlad realized he wasn’t dead. Odd. It usually didn’t take this long. He blearily opened his eyes, not aware that they’d fallen shut. <br/><br/>Danny wasn’t actively pulling from Vlad’s core, just passively allowing the ectoplasm coursing through Vlad’s body to flow from where his teeth had broken through the man’s ghostly flesh. He also wasn’t using any of the venom that a normal feeder would. Vlad rarely did either, considering he didn’t need or even want his victims particularly pliant in his grasp. Their death was usually quick, but he wasn’t going to bother with making it painless. <br/><br/>He blearily wondered how long Danny had been a feeder. Judging by his technique, or lack thereof, not long. Perhaps he didn’t know any better. </p><p>Vlad’s thoughts seemed to swirl in his head, even more so than they normally had in the last few months. While Danny may have declined to utilize any venom Vlad’s vision still swam and he closed his eyes in some attempt to regain his bearings. He was still so weak and hungry for that energy, and here Daniel was stealing what little he had left! </p><p>Glowing green eyes lazily blinked open with Vlad’s and widened when he realized what was happening. He tore away from the older halfa, unceremoniously yanking his teeth out of Vlad’s neck none too gently at all. Blue hands reached up to hold the wound and his hands came back covered in bright neon pink. <br/><br/>Danny’s hands were shaking as he held them against Vlad’s on the man’s neck, messing his own fingers with the substance. They were both trying to stop the ‘bleeding’. “Ah! Transform back! To Masters!” He was panicking, unsure if that would even do anything. <br/><br/>Obviously it wouldn’t. <br/><br/>Vlad sneered at him. “<em>Before </em> the <em> neck wound </em> heals?! Are you an <em> imbecile?!”  </em>The man had a valid point but Danny hated the tone he used, so he spitefully stabbed two fingers into the wound and bare his gritted teeth vengefully as Vlad shouted in pain. <br/><br/>“Shut up! This is all new to me! Fuck you!” Danny spouted rapidly. <br/><br/>Vlad sat up with a gasp and pushed him away, his body finally free from the strange paralysis that commonly came over victims of an ecto-vampire. He wondered if it was so easy for regular vampires. Or did humans just die too fast? <br/><br/>Unimportant, he told himself. He flew into the bathroom while keeping pressure on the wound. It closed after only a minute more, not needing to clot like human blood. His skin was still sticky and gross from the ectoplasm though, and he felt like dying more than ever. Daniel would pay. <br/><br/>Vlad looked in the mirror to find him floating there, looking predictably and rightfully guilty. Good. Vlad wasn’t in the best of shape, especially after that, so using violence was a losing battle, but there were many ways to make Daniel do what he wanted. Even at this age the boy could be almost too easy to manipulate. <br/><br/>“Oh Daniel,” He mourned dramatically, “You’ve really put me out now…” He turns to the boy and tries to look as pitiful as possible. <br/><br/>The young halfa hung his head in disbelieving shame, his eyes still wide with shock as they fixed themselves to the floor and a bit of fear crept into his voice as he mumbled, “I… I’m so sorry… I don’t know- Look, things have been really weird with me lately…” He honestly didn't know what came over him...<br/><br/>Vlad grinned, his teeth and core almost throbbing with anticipation. <br/><br/>Now if he could just... <br/><br/>“You owe me, Daniel.” The boy looked up, a stricken expression and he looked more than a little suspicious of Vlad’s intentions. He backed away as the larger halfa stepped closer, having a pretty accurate idea of what the man wanted. <br/><br/>But he didn’t run.</p><p>“Please, Daniel.” His voice was losing the pleading tone as Plasmius' hungry anticipation continued to build, until there was no honey in the sound at all and he practically growled, “Give it to me… I need it.”<br/><br/>Danny was stupefied for so many reasons. Nobody said ‘give it to me’ unless they were talking about ‘it’. He shuddered, his breath stuttering at the perverse notion.<br/><br/>Vlad must have mistaken the shudder for fear or something because he was on Danny in under a second. “I’ll even show you how it’s done.” The fury in his voice literally shook Daniel’s core, a response he felt through his entire body. Suddenly a clawed hand was under his jaw with an excruciating grip, pushing his head to the side in a frighteningly familiar way. <br/><br/>Vlad bites <em> hard</em>. His mouth nearly closes just between his neck and shoulder and Danny starts to scream but that firm grip is now over his mouth, muffling his cries. He jerks and squirms when he feels Vlad literally start sucking the life out of him- but then suddenly, after a moment, he finds that he starts feeling <em>really chill</em> with the whole encounter. <br/><br/>His body completely relaxed until Vlad was basically holding him up. <em> This must be what happened to Vlad </em> , he thought, hazily remembering the lack of struggle from the man when their roles were reversed. For once, his core thrummed pleasantly. Way too pleasantly. It was a welcome feeling after weeks angry pulsing and painful buzzing. He groaned out a different sound from before, unable to focus on anything other than the feeling of Vlad’s wet mouth on his neck. It should feel gross. <br/><br/>But it doesn’t. <br/><br/>The more Vlad takes from him the lighter he feels. He’s almost content to just slip into oblivion when Vlad finally releases him with a ragged sigh, tongue sliding over his teeth a moment before once again placing his mouth over the tender wound. Feeling began returning to Danny and he thanked the heavens that Vlad wasn’t using his teeth any more because now his neck <em> hurt</em>. <br/><br/>And the way Vlads lips and tongue glided over it to prevent a worse mess was very <em>distracting</em>. <br/><br/>Vlad was a bit surprised that someone could live through having their ectoplasm drained. Sure, he hadn’t taken it all, but he definitely thought he would. He realized now that he never left survivors partly because he simply hadn’t thought one could survive his attacks. In hindsight he could have likely spared many a ghost from the end. <br/><br/>But he also thoroughly enjoyed the fear and carnage behind violently taking a life so he had no regrets. <br/><br/>Vlad could taste the ectoplasm on his tongue. He could only compare it to sticking your tongue to the end of a battery, then drinking that sensation. It had taken a long time to get used to. <br/><br/>Daniel’s was that very same taste-slash-sensation, but smoother and ice cold. Like drinking water after being outside all day in the summer.</p><p>Danny could move, Vlad knew this too, but they both stood there against each other for a good few minutes- Danny horrified at what had just happened, Vlad absentmindedly holding him there and reveling in the sensation of his restored power. This is what his angry core had been chasing. (He wondered if other ice cores would suffice and smirked at the notion of terrorizing The Far Frozen.)<br/><br/>Something bugged him though, “Daniel,” and the boy hummed, straightening up to stand on his own and putting a few more inches of distance between them. <br/><br/>“How long have you been like this? A feeder.” He asked curiously. Daniel looked guilty once again, if not a bit light-headed as he responded. <br/><br/>“About… ten minutes, I guess.” A breathy, nervous chuckle escaped the boy and Vlad fell silent. <br/><br/>That would explain his ignorance to this situation, but Vlad couldn’t believe <em> that </em> was the boy’s first encounter out of all of his years as Danny Phantom. <br/><br/>Vlad closes his eyes to hide his envious glower. He’d suffered this need for over twenty years. The restless, all-consuming hunger began making itself known just a year after the accident. He suffered for so long in the hospital, feeling physically and emotionally miserable and never knowing why until he discovered what had become of him. As he slowly gained control over his abilities and began his own expeditions into the ghost zone the pains only got worse and worse. <br/><br/>Then one day he finally did it. <br/><br/>Vlad hadn’t known where the idea or instinct came from, and he certainly hadn’t just woke up and decided to latch on to a ghost one morning. First he was fighting off this punk ass ghost that had attacked him for intruding on ‘his’ territory, then all of the sudden in the next moment Vlad held the ghost’s lifeless form in one hand as it faded away to who-knows-where. His mouth had felt weird and sticky, but everything else felt fantastic. He consumed the next spectral entity without a second thought and it was glorious. He’d never felt more alive. <br/><br/>A few years of research and countless gory experiments later he considered himself quite the expert on his condition. <br/><br/>Until that fateful day, months ago. <br/><br/>He’d just drained a third no-name dry and he still wanted <em> more</em>. The most he could typically 'suck dry' at a time was two ghosts and usually his core almost overloaded whenever tried to ‘binge’ like that. He hunted down any unfortunate ghost to cross his path and attacked. And attacked. And attacked. <br/><br/>Until finally he was sluggish and uncomfortable and way too <em> full </em> but still so desperately <em> hungry </em> and <em> empty</em>. <br/><br/>His still-burning core flared like a dying sun and he retreated to his lab to run tests on himself. Something was definitely wrong with him but his tests came out normal, for him at least, and so he tried to figure out what had changed. He definitely noticed a difference in temperature around him, as he’d been raising the thermostat of every room he walked into, human or ghost. He ran samples of ectoplasm from various sources as controls, analyzed his core energy, monitored fluctuation in his power and energy, both physically being and metaphysical. <br/><br/>Comparing his own spectral levels to the samples of full ghosts yielded biased results at best, but there wasn’t exactly a surplus of knowledge on halfas to compare his levels to, so normal was a term Vlad took with a grain of salt anyway. <br/><br/>Despite not developing any new traits or powers his core seemed to be destabilizing, and ectoplasm wasn’t cutting it anymore. His self control began to dwindle and eat away at him even in his human form. He felt as if his mind were under attack- from himself. His fears and insecurities whispered louder than usual in the back of his mind, in his own twisted, disembodied voice, and it was beginning to outwardly affect him. <br/><br/>Things he hadn’t thought about since his childhood so many years ago. Memories of his first years after the accident. Painful things. It was too much. He called out of working in the office, continuously extending his vacation until he was essentially on hiatus to the public. <br/><br/>He was fucked, and that was not something he would normally say, especially about himself. He had to stop this. Vlad ached from the inside out and simply couldn’t bare it anymore. Then he began to physically lose authority over his body. </p><p>Vlad created the muzzle to keep his jaws shut since he’d been blacking out and waking up covered in ectoplasm in the ghost zone. The attached collar was based off of the Plasmius Maximus, but it was designed to keep him in ghost form so that his escapades didn’t expose his identity should he ‘lose it’ while in human form. The ghost massacres themselves didn't bother Vlad, it was the lack of self control and the possibility of outing himself as a feeder to the ghost world that left him disgusted with himself. <br/><br/>Which made him feel worse... <br/><br/>Vlad began gathering materials, some purchased, some created by his own hand, and yes, some stolen. Time was of the essence and he needed to get this done as soon as possible, before his core exploded or his body ate itself alive. Vlad could feel it, he was losing himself.<br/><br/>Vlad was going back in time to stop all of this. Kill Jack, don’t kill Jack, it didn’t matter anymore, but he was going to stop the accident. It would be like none of it ever happened. <br/><br/>Clockwork would never work with him, not that he’d ever asked the time ghost nicely. It wasn’t like it would have done any good. They never really saw eye to eye- Clockwork viewing him as a plague on time itself, Vlad viewing Clockwork as a nosy bitch who refused to just <em>let Vlad do this- </em> . <br/><br/>No, he didn’t need clockwork. If he could build a portal to the Ghost Zone he could manage this just fine on his own. <br/><br/>All he’d needed for the time machine then was a powerful enough generator that worked on ectoplasm. He now regretted not sending Skulker to retrieve it from the prison but he simply hadn’t thought the hunter would succeed. <br/><br/>And it was just as Daniel said before. Vlad had gone and gotten himself captured in a weakened state, already muzzled and half-suppressed for his warden. Weeks of torture and ghost weapons were endured before Nocturne just appeared one day and mercifully put him into a sometimes blissful, sometimes fitfull sleep. Even in his dreams he had no control. <br/><br/>And then he was ‘rescued’ by The Ghost Child of all people, who had spent his first four years of ghosthood completely free from the insidious need to feed. Until now. <br/><br/>Plasmius took in the boy’s squared jaw and shoulders, his stature and slightly bigger build. <br/><br/><em> He must think he’s a man now… </em> Vlad mused, then his eyes widened in realization. <br/><br/>His fire core, Daniel’s ice core. Daniel’s maturation and development of hunger. <br/><br/>They were the only two of their kind. No... <br/><br/>“<em>You</em>.” Vlad bit out, “This is all your fault.” It had to be. Daniel outgrowing his childhood was the only change that coincided with this breakdown. <br/><br/>Danny gawked at him, “Me?! I saved you from <em> your </em> dumb ass decisions. You’d still be in Walker’s chair if it weren’t for me!” <br/><br/>“If it weren’t for you I would be sustaining just fine on nobodies in the Ghost Zone!” <br/><br/>That seemed to genuinely confuse Danny. “<em>What? </em> ” <br/><br/>Vlad scoffed. “Of course.” He said grimly, putting it all together in his mind. <br/><br/>“You were probably always a feeder, it's just that you were an adolescent. Your core had not fully matured until recently, when the rest of you did.” Then he growled, a new flame of rage taking to his gaze as he eyed Danny up and down. “Ugh! You didn’t even suffer through the ecto-acne!” He stomped forward to grip Danny’s jaw once more, this time forcing it open with . <br/><br/>“Ahk! H-Hey!” Danny jerked away but Vlad had already seen what he wanted to see. <br/><br/>“How long have you had the fangs now?” Bright green eyes blinked up at him confused, then it hit Danny too. All of this weirdness happened around his birthday. Maybe this <em> was </em> him, growing into new ghost powers, or in this case curses. It explained the odd core activity, and it was only natural that Vlad's would react to one so similar to his own.<br/><br/>It didn't explain the other weird feelings around the other halfa though.<br/><br/>Danny grumbled, “Fucking ghost puberty…” He’d been right! And Tucker had been annoyingly spot on...<br/><br/>Vlad shot him an utterly disturbed look, “What?” <br/><br/>Danny blushed at being heard and tried to change the subject. “Nothing! Why are <em> my </em> changes affecting <em> you </em> ?” <br/><br/>Vlad looked thoughtful, though still furious, “My best theory would be that our opposite cores are very… attracted to, or in accordance with one another." Maybe it was their shared halfa status? "Youthful cores are overflowing with their own energy. Now that yours is matured and ready to absorb energy from others, my own can sense it and deems any less compatible ectoplasm not worth absorbing.” He laughs darkly, as if at his own expense. It sort of made sense to him now, why he’d always come after Danny all that time when the boy was so young. His core was drawn to that excess. </p><p>That explained his fixation on Daniel perfectly, why he'd seemingly been distracted from his initial obsession with the boy's parents. He stroked his facial hair as he convinced himself that was all it was, ghostly cores. Finally he could put a rest to all of the voices in his head calling him a child predator when his eyes followed the younger halfa a little too closely.<br/><br/>Strangely, another part of him felt… invalidated? Disappointed? <br/><br/>Green eyes narrow in suspicion at the older halfa’s expression. Plasmius almost seemed relieved, but not. Danny could tell by the way the older halfa was behaving that this more complex than it appeared. There was more to it than he was saying, of that much Danny was sure. Vlad always twisted things and lied for his own gain, withholding and misrepresenting information as it suited him and his needs. How could he be trusted now? <br/><br/>Then again, why would the man lie if he was stuck in the same boat as Danny? Apparently, no one else’s ghost-blood would do for Vlad... <br/><br/>The thought that Vlad would be depending on him and only him made Danny feel like he had power over his nemesis, like he was dangling what the man wanted right over his head instead of the other way around for once.<br/><br/>Danny decides he is being genuine, at least in his words. He couldn't speak for the man's thoughts, but at least what Vlad was telling him was probably factual. <br/><br/>But this was still so complicated. His mental victory was short lived as his mind weighed the effects of his current predicament. Another ghost thing to deal with. <br/><br/>Danny sighs, hating his life at that moment, “I’m sorry I… bit you…” he could muster nothing but a low mumble. <br/><br/>This earns him a strange, unapologetic look from the older halfa. “I’m not.” Danny glared but Vlad shrugged. What was done was done. “Daniel, the faster you accept your new feeder status the easier this will be for both of us. Stop shaming yourself and learn to take what you want, or rather, what you need.” He casually stepped away from the ghost boy and changed into Masters. The towel around his waist hung dangerously low and Danny’s throat felt dry at the thought of it falling. <br/><br/>Fucking ew. Why is this happening? <br/><br/>Vlad began putting his hair up and Danny watched him like a total creep. His eyes zeroed in on the slightly red bite-mark on older man's neck and his face was consumed with a scarlet blush. Vlad turned suddenly and caught him, sneering once more as Danny’s eyes glued themselves to the ground. The older halfa cackled internally. <br/><br/><em> Ghost puberty, indeed. </em> He thought to himself. Perhaps the boy had more than just ghost-related changes to think about. Daniel had no idea what was going on with his body, much less his core. Vlad had the upper hand as usual, and getting the boy to do what he wanted would be too easy with this new, <em> confusing </em> situation they’d landed themselves in. <br/><br/>Vlad just had to pull the right strings and Danny would be another puppet under his control. <br/><br/>He grabbed a pen and a notepad from his bedside table. (He enjoyed writing down and analyzing his more interesting dreams.) He scribbled his phone number down, not putting his name should the brat somehow misplace it somewhere. <br/><br/>“Let’s make an arrangement, Little Badger.” He grinned as Daniel’s face seemed to only burn brighter. Poor sweet boy. “This can be purely business if you want.” <br/><br/>Danny looked up as Vlad <em> sauntered </em> towards him, eyes on the towel against his will. Vlad took the folded piece of paper and tucked it into the neck of Danny’s suit. “Come see me when you want it. Just let me know when you plan on coming.” His eyes followed Vlad back across the room and the man crawled into bed, not wary of his enemy’s presence in the slightest despite the attempted cannibalism. Well, successful cannibalism.</p><p>“Now get out of my room, Daniel. I would like to rest and I don’t feel like <em> making you </em> leave.” <br/><br/>Without another word Danny went intangible and practically fell through the floor, not stopping until he finally hit the basement again, desperate to get out of that overly hot room. <br/><br/>Vlad <em> had </em> to know how all of that had sounded. <br/><br/>He didn’t sleep that night, just watched over his passed out friends until morning. When they woke up he was already driving them through the ghost zone. Well before noon. <br/><br/>Danny was beyond glad that the lab was parent-free upon their arrival. They parked the speeder like it had never moved and went up to Danny’s room to rest a bit more before heading out. He didn’t talk about the discussion with Vlad and they didn’t ask. He counted his lucky stars that they seemed to be too tired to bother with it. He laid down in bed and caught up a bit on his own sleep. <br/><br/>When his parents came home they of course grilled him about the Specter Speeder but he pretended he had no idea what they were talking about. He’d been at Sam’s the whole time with Tucker playing video games after all.. <br/><br/>They seemed to see his point and began talking about how odd it was that stuff disappeared and reappeared all the time down there. They chalked it up the portal and all the ghost activity. <br/><br/>Danny was eternally grateful that ghosts were a viable scapegoat for pretty much anything in his family.</p><p>He thought about starting on his writing assignment for Lancer’s class early this time. Tomorrow was Sunday, but getting a head start tonight wouldn’t hurt.<br/><br/>An icy blue mist escaped from his mouth. Danny felt even more conscious of his core than he had been when he first learned of it. <br/><br/>He eyed his backpack with a frown. “Sunday it is…” He mumbled, quickly going ghost and flying from his window. <br/><br/>He only vaguely noticed that he was no longer in pain. <br/><br/></p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Experiment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad and Danny try to gain a better understanding of the situation they've found themselves in. It's hard to get along with your enemy, even when you're stuck in the same boat together. Getting under the other's skin comes too naturally to them.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Vlad hadn’t felt this good in what seemed like years.<br/><br/>After that night he dove into research with renewed vigor for the present, pausing his time travel plans to see where his current predicament led for now. Daniel’s ectoplasm was clearly superior to Vlad’s previous prey. That, or perhaps it was simply more suited to his halfa needs, as he theorized. He floated around his lab almost giddily. (After many explosions he found it was simply safer to be Plasmius in his lab, unless testing anti-ghost technology.)<br/><br/>His mood lifted even higher as he read his test results. His current readings seemed to surpass his previous scores by at least twenty percent. He was at the end of week two since the... <em>transfusion</em>, and he still felt like a million bucks- or in his case several billion. And now, finally, he’d found something else to lord over Daniel. It couldn’t get any better.<br/><br/>Sure, he’d nearly killed himself and had to be rescued by none other than his nemesis <em>Danny Phantom</em>, of course, but he’d long ago accepted that was just going to happen from time to time. He still hated it, but there wasn't much he could do with the stubborn brat. The boy always stuck his nose into Vlad’s doings and ruined everything, then pretended he was ‘saving the day’ or something, so it was nothing new.<br/><br/>The damned hero complex was <em>the</em> <em>most</em> annoying thing about the boy.<br/><br/>Vlad would have been content to stay under Nocturne’s spell and simply fade away into his disturbed fantasies. He <em>had</em> thought about medically inducing a coma on his own, or simply blowing his brains out, but he had far too much pride for either of those routes. Going back in time and meticulously planning and changing it all genuinely seemed easier on him(his ego), it was just the most time-consuming.<br/><br/>But yes, he had been that miserable.<br/><br/>The dizzying back and forth of his conflicting emotions seemed to pause for awhile, his ghostly half and human half behaving in a unified, civilized manner once more in their shared space, as they had for the previous twenty years before his mental stability was so rudely disrupted.<br/><br/>And it was all because Daniel was an 'adult' now.<br/><br/><em>Adult</em>. Vlad couldn’t help but scoff at the idea that the boy could ever align himself with the term.<br/><br/>The fact that a fucking child controlled his fate made blinding pink fire erupt around the halfa’s feet before he quickly calmed himself, and in turn the flames. With the tethering of their opposing cores, that brat practically held Vlad’s <em>soul</em> in the palm of his hand.<br/><br/>But Vlad held his too, and in a much more constricting grip. The boy really had messed up in biting him and revealing this weakness- Vlad could utilize it far better than Daniel could ever dream to, if Vlad so wanted manipulate the situation.<br/><br/>And he usually did when it came to things like this.<br/><br/>He tossed his head back with a mirthful laugh, one that sparked anxiety in his foes, business and ghost alike.<br/><br/>“God, you really do sound like a cartoon super villain.”<br/><br/>He jerked in surprise, realizing that he hadn’t noticed the red mist escaping his lips. He could feel the temperature of the room only just beginning to drop so Daniel couldn’t have been there long. He vaguely wondered if his core was <em>too</em> relaxed after being stabilized. Or <em>chill</em>, as the younger people often said. It was likely more appropriate considering Daniel’s ice core, but he wouldn’t say it out loud for fear of exciting the boy with his infatuation with awful puns.</p><p>“I was merely laughing at something funny in my head, before you intruded of course.” He justified, a bit embarrassed to have been caught practically cackling.<br/><br/>“What, like dead puppies? Or like starving children?” He seems amused, by Vlad or with his own ridiculous sense of humor.<br/><br/>Vlad looks at him rather flatly and says, “Starving children.” before turning to place the beaker he held on the table next to the other samples. He keeps his back to Daniel, looking utterly disinterested despite the fact that the ghost boy was his main subject of study at that very moment. “To what do I owe the immense pleasure of <em> Danny Phantom’s </em> company?”<br/><br/>Danny rolls his eyes, leaving the air to land and stand a few feet behind Vlad. The man always spat his alias whenever it had to be uttered, his voice full of ridicule and scorn. The <em> drama</em>.<br/><br/>Not like his name was any cooler.<br/><br/>“Well, <em> Vlad Plasmius</em>,” Vlad glares over his shoulder, fully aware he’s being mocked.<br/><br/>Danny relents with a smile and holds his hands up in exaggerated surrender. His expression melts into something more vulnerable and he averts his gaze.<br/><br/>“I actually… kinda… needed someone to talk to. About… all of this, you know?” He’d been feeling incredibly weak the last few days but he wouldn’t admit that out loud. Danny hated watching a fangy sneer eat up Vlad’s face. He more so hated how it made him feel even weaker.<br/><br/>“So, what you are saying is that you’d like me to take you under my wing and teach you the ways of ghosts and half ghosts? To train you on how to better control and understand your powers and in turn your core? My word, why does that sound so very familiar-”<br/><br/>“Alright!” Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. They fell accompanied by a heaving sigh. “I get it! Your generous original offer! <em> You were right. </em> ” That one hurt the most to admit. “Oh, Plasmius, you’re so wise and powerful. What else do I have to say to speed past your gloating?” Danny basked in the sight of Vlad’s face morphing from evil grin to a dispassionate glare.<br/><br/><em> Not evil, self serving. </em> Clockwork’s words popped into his head again, entirely unwarranted.</p><p>“Well then if you’re done I suppose I can be too.” The man turns to completely face Daniel and leans his butt against one of the counter tops before folding his arms. “You obviously have something on your mind. Out with it.”<br/><br/>Danny paused to squirm under Vlad’s expectant stare. Vlad found that… curious.<br/><br/>“Um… Uh, maybe if we can start with research? I have a few questions about the core stuff, and Frostbite kind of explained it in mystical ghost terms, so<em> none </em>of that prepared me for-” He gestured his hands back and forth between them while showing off his almost vampiric teeth, “- <em> this. </em> I was wondering if you could explain it more scientifically? And maybe help me figure out what to expect?”<br/><br/>Vlad gives a physically pained grimace at the feeling of empathy that overwhelms him. He could honestly puke. Let the brat suffer like he did. After all, he had offered his tutelage countless times before, only to be mercilessly rejected each and every one of those times. Vlad had struggled through the first several years all alone. Why should he help Daniel?<br/><br/>Because some part of him still wanted to. He audibly groaned, repulsed by his softer human emotions. Weak.<br/><br/>But on the other hand he could still get valuable information from this ordeal. Vlad had already been physically mature when he was so kindly gifted with his powers,so he too was curious about how the actual core changed upon the transition from the fledgling state. Daniel had been only a boy, his human form had been nowhere near maturity.<br/><br/>Eighteen was still an odd age in human terms. Most weren’t <em> fully </em> grown until around twenty-five years old, give or take. This is perhaps where the ghostly influences factor in. Vlad himself hadn’t noticed much change in his face since his early to mid thirties, so spectral DNA must play some role in disrupting the natural maturation process of the mortal body. He wondered how their cores decided when their human bodies were compatible with these ghostly transitions.<br/><br/>“First,” Vlad began, “start telling me about your symptoms. What changes did you notice in the beginning, and what do you notice now?” He turned and sat down in front of his computer and selected a data program he created for all of his ghostly gatherings. It helped sort all of the information he’d acquired from the Ghost Zone over the years. He knew Jack and Maddie had one much like it, and he was almost sure Daniel and his friends had something of the sort as well.<br/><br/>Perhaps something more advanced, given the technological inclinations of that geeky boy that followed the Daniel everywhere.<br/><br/>His hands hovered over the keyboard for a bit before he looked back at the suddenly quiet boy, waiting. Hesitantly, with his eyes cast downward, Daniel moved closer until he floated at Vlad’s back to check out what Vlad pulled up on his screen.<br/><br/>“Well, I… A few months ago…”<br/><br/>“When exactly?” Vlad asked, trying valiantly to keep patient.<br/><br/>Danny squinted his eyes in thought. “Probably like a week before my birthday... I had a feeling that- actually, never mind.”<br/><br/>Vlad smirked at the embarrassed look on the boy’s face, taking a teasing tone. “Spit it out, Daniel. Do you want your scientific answers or what?”<br/><br/>He knew what Daniel was going to say, he'd said it once before, and he was right, but Vlad simply couldn’t help being amused by the young halfa’s discomfort.<br/><br/>“Um,” Daniel’s eyes glued themselves to the pins that held Vlad’s cape in place. While it was very distracting, for some reason it didn’t quell the burning in his cheeks in the least. Now his eyes traveled up Vlad’s neck and square jaw until they were met with another pair of eyes, sparkling in their mirth as he sputtered.<br/><br/>“I was going to say... <em> thatitwaskindalikepuberty.” </em> Danny rushed, trying to get through these awkward parts as fast as possible.<br/><br/>“Come now, Daniel, we’re men of science. No need to be shy.” He said it gently, but Daniel saw the shit-eating grin for what it was. Vlad was definitely enjoying his pain.<br/><br/>“Ugh,” Danny groaned, averting his eyes, “You know what I mean. It happened around my eighteenth birthday, the time when most become an adult, so I just figured… it was like ghost puberty?” It sounded totally stupid in his head, but it sounded even worse out loud. He expected Vlad to laugh but Danny had to look up and make sure the man was still there when he heard nothing but typing.<br/><br/>“What exactly is ‘it’?”<br/><br/>His eyes fixated Vlad’s stupid broad shoulders distractedly. “Like… Well, I haven’t been that much colder than usual, I got that part of my core pretty much under control after training in the far frozen over the years, but I can… <em> feel </em> it more? Better? I dunno, it’s different. Then the teeth- I mean I have fangs now! I thought ghosts just <em> had </em> them sometimes, but you grow into them? So, yeah, ghost puberty. Coming of age and all that…” He only tore his gaze away from admiring Vlad’s build when the halfa turned to address him.<br/><br/>“You aren’t wrong, my boy. Legally, I suppose. Everyone’s body grows and matures at its own pace, my theory is that you just happened to physically mature around year eighteen. In halfa terms, your core’s development has aligned itself with your physical development quite well. Honestly, I would have assumed your core would have ‘ripened’ a couple years ago.” He sent a meaningful smirk to Danny. “But hey, nothing wrong with being a late bloomer.” All teasing. Knowing what they know now it was obvious that Danny’s core would be immature, but tormenting Daniel was something from which he reaped great joy.<br/><br/>And naturally the boy’s reaction never failed to entertain him.<br/><br/>Danny thought his head would explode. He knew it was bait and he knew he fell for it. He felt the blood rushing to his face as it scrunched up in indignation. “Hey fuck you! At least I developed a personality before my <em> fifties.” </em><br/><br/>This riled Vlad just as much as Danny. “I am forty-one years old and I think you <em> know that </em> !”<br/><br/>“Yeah, but for how many years in a row?”<br/><br/>A short glaring match was held before they each jerked their heads away.<br/><br/>Vlad abruptly growled some made up curse or another and turned back to the screen. “What else?” Vlad ground out. Danny stared at the back of his head until it turned to him. Vlad’s hair wasn’t down like last time, it sticking up in that villainous, Draculaesque style again. He liked it better down. It looked nicer when it was down.<br/><br/>“Daniel, what else has changed?” The younger halfa blinked out of the short reverie and made a silent ‘oh!’ with his mouth before answering.<br/><br/>“Well my core has been weird… Like I said, I can feel it almost always now.”<br/><br/>Vlad frowned but turned back to continue typing. “But not in the sense of its elemental capabilities. So how?”<br/><br/>Daniel shook his head, “Well, yeah, but… It… vibrates?” He did <em> not </em> want to use the word ‘trembles’ in front of his arch nemesis.<br/><br/>‘Vibrate’ really didn’t feel much better though.<br/><br/>Vlad simply nodded with all of the composure of a seasoned clinician despite his lack of genuine human interaction, “Yes, okay… What else?”</p><p>Danny looks particularly uncomfortable here. “I could, uh… I could sense you? Miles better than before. Like, from the other side of the Ghost Zone. It was weird. Definitely new.”<br/><br/>The nearly constant typing stopped. “Is <em> that </em> how you found me in prison, Daniel? You followed your core?”<br/><br/>Danny scratched at his neck, “Yeah. Well, kind of. It felt more like following yours. Mine could feel it. I figured it was because yours is hot and mine is cold, opposites attract.” God that felt awkward to say.<br/><br/>“Makes enough sense.” And Vlad took note of that as well. It was then that it dawned on Danny that this was all quite new for Vlad too.<br/><br/>“This didn’t happen to you?” He asked incredulously.<br/><br/>Vlad simply shakes his head. “I was already twenty-two when my accident happened so I was a little beyond the hormonal flares of growing into a man.” Just him saying that made Danny feel like a mere boy still.<br/><br/>“Well La-Di-Dah!” He sing-songed sarcastically.<br/><br/>“Do I smell bitterness in the air, Daniel? Or is it just me?”<br/><br/>Of course Danny would feel bitter, about going through all of this so young, and about how it was biting him in the ass now that he was maturing into a man.<br/><br/>But he wouldn’t tell Vlad that.<br/><br/>Danny glared, “It’s definitely just you, Fruit Loo-” He couldn’t finish his retort. A wave of pain surged through him, emanating from his core.<br/><br/>Vlad turned and simply observed him, offering no help as he doubled over in pain clutching his stomach. It felt much longer than the minute or two that it actually lasted, and by the end of it he was curled up on the ground, mostly so he didn’t fall over. <br/><br/>When Danny calmed a bit, the pain having subsided for now, his mortal-slash-immortal enemy leaned over him to get a closer look at him. The action made Danny tense and his body naturally prepared for a fight.<br/><br/>If Vlad noticed he didn’t say anything about it. “How long has your core been hurting like this?”<br/><br/>The younger halfa looked up, “It’s painful, but there’s something else to it that just makes my insides squirm. Like those hand-buzzer pranks, the ones where you shake someone’s hand and shock them with it, except you feel it all over your body. It’s like every molecule is… moving, almost nervously, or agitated.” Danny uncurled a bit and began to hover once more when he didn’t feel like the pain would return. “It’s been getting worse over the last couple months, around my birthday again. And it’s gotten <em> even </em> worse since… You know…”<br/><br/>Vlad smirked, “Since you tried to tear a chunk from my jugular?”<br/><br/>The boy nodded dumbly, his face bleeding beet-red for reasons beyond him.<br/><br/>Plasmius huffed a chuckle through his nose and turned to type more for his notes.<br/><br/>He spoke again in an almost disinterested tone, not even looking at Danny. “How long after you gnawed on me did the painful sensation recur?”<br/><br/>“I felt it coming back like three days after. It didn’t get unbearable until last week.”<br/><br/>That time Vlad turned, wide eyed. His eyes raked over Danny not once, but twice. “And have you tried any other resources?”<br/><br/>Danny physically backed away from him. “Like, take someone else’s ectoplasm? Uh, hell no?!”<br/><br/>Vlad looks absolutely done with this entire ordeal. “Well then, yes, I’m <em> sure </em> you’ve suffered. Why have you not come here sooner? Or at least attempted trying any alternative?”<br/><br/>The younger halfa almost looked scandalized. “What other alternative is there? It’s weird enough that I came after <em> you </em> of all people.”<br/><br/>“I don’t appreciate that tone, but I can’t say I’m very surprised at your lack of proactivity.”<br/><br/>Danny scoffed, “What was I supposed to do, just keep taking bites out of people until I figured it out on my own?”<br/><br/>“I did.” Vlad gave him a dark look that spoke of many trials.<br/><br/>Danny was stumped by that response so he simply folded his arms and tried not to look too outwardly ashamed for bringing back those memories for Vlad. He couldn’t condone the awful things the older halfa had probably done while experimenting in his early days, but he also couldn’t imagine having absolutely no one to figure it all out with...<br/><br/>He idly wondered how many ghosts had perished by Vlad’s hand.</p><p>After the uncomfortable silence the typing resumed.<br/><br/>Danny looked around the room to distract himself and found his eyes drawn to the beakers off to the side, all filled with various liquids. They were mostly green, only a couple others being some shade of fuchsia or pink, all of them glowing eerily. It reminded Danny of those videos they watched in Chemistry class since the school couldn’t afford the actual chemicals and supplies.<br/><br/>Only this lab looked far more haunted.<br/><br/>“What’s all this?” Danny asked.<br/><br/>The older halfa spared a glance at where Danny gestured and turned up his nose just a bit. “Some of us have actually been trying to remedy this affliction. I’ve been quite busy collecting samples and materials in an effort to create a synthetic replacement to the ectoplasm our ghost halves must consume to thrive. Once I’ve finished analyzing the ectoplasms of these regular ghosts I will move on to our own, then I can begin the formulation of a substitute. I still have much research-...”<br/><br/>Danny stopped paying attention and wondered if Vlad was born with his pompous tone or if it was something that came with wealth. “Why is yours pink?” He interrupted curiously.<br/><br/>Vlad stopped and raised a brow, “How do you know that’s mine?”<br/><br/>Danny raised one back sarcastically. “Um, you’re the only ghost I’ve ever met with pink ectoplasmic energy. Plus, the ecto-signature is super easy to differentiate from others. It’s like, <em> mad </em> evil.”<br/><br/>“Oh, Daniel,” Vlad swooned sarcastically, “You truly know how to charm your way to a man’s heart.”<br/><br/>For some reason Danny’s cheeks began to feel hot. That’s… uncomfortable.<br/><br/>“Whatever…” Danny mumbled.<br/><br/>Vlad smirked knowingly but continued, “In all seriousness, I too have never met another quite like myself. I believe I am some sort of anomaly in that sense. Of the very few warm-cored ghosts I’ve encountered, none of them bled this variant shade.” He walked over and began inspecting the collection he had so far.<br/><br/>Danny’s throat felt dry as he watched Vlad swirl one of the beakers. How does he ask Vlad for more of it? He couldn’t give the man any leverage over him. Though, knowing Plasmius, the halfa was probably already aware of exactly why he came over today, especially since putting it off so long made his state even more obvious.<br/><br/>But wasn't Vlad suffering right now too?<br/><br/>“Why aren’t you hurting? Like me?” Danny blurted out.<br/><br/>Vlad hesitated to answer, likely unwilling to reveal his own weakness, or that's what Danny assumed.<br/><br/>“I… was. Before you ‘rescued’ me. I’m not currently facing any withdrawal symptoms like you because my core is long stabilized and is not prone to spikes or dips in energy requirements since I am an adult.” He said in an almost stuck up fashion.<br/><br/>Danny frowned, “So long as you’re well fed, you mean.”<br/><br/>Vlad paused, his cockiness evaporating before he grit out, “Correct.” It was true that the last few months of his hunger had not been the most ‘well controlled’, but when he was fed his command over his core and its power was indeed as stable as he claimed.<br/><br/>But Daniel was unfortunately spot on, Vlad was as volatile and unpredictable as any crazed fledgling if forced to go without for too long. He had accepted his ghostly body’s exigencies, but that didn’t mean he liked the way he was forced to live.<br/><br/>Well, he enjoyed when fear flashed in a ghostly opponents eyes once they saw his teeth and they realized what he was. It was often an entertaining enough show to watch it dawn on his challenger’s faces if they figured out they were facing one of the halfas, but when they found it was Plasmius, and they became aware he was a feeder intent on sucking their undead soul dry, it was dinner and a movie.<br/><br/>However, the way Danny said it made him feel like some sort of starving animal. A stray dog. Definitely not as cinematic.<br/><br/>Admitting his limitations stung.<br/><br/>“So until I can stabilize my core isn’t <em> really </em> mature, is it?” The boy asked after a minute of contemplation.<br/><br/>A sharp scoff from Vlad startled him. “Obviously not,” he mused, “But then again neither is your wit, hmm? So dim. Eighteen is a difficult age.” he said sarcastically, part of him hoping to see Danny get worked up.<br/><br/>Danny scowled but chose to stay on track and ignore the jab, “That would explain why I started feeling weird again so soon. My core is probably spiking- well, actually dipping, but like you said earlier, it’s still adjusting to all this.” He paused, looking down and bringing his hand to his chin. His head popped back up to look into Vlad’s eyes. “Should I let it out?”<br/><br/>Vlad squinted at him, “What?”<br/><br/>“Like, let my core energy out? If it starts overflowing like when I was fourteen and just unlocked it, or...?” Danny asked bemusedly. For the second time that night he just couldn’t believe that Plasmius didn’t have all the answers.</p><p>Despite not having his questions answered right away he found that he was enjoying unraveling the mystery of their biology with Vlad. Danny felt like a real scientist, bouncing ideas off of another, admittedly more experienced professional in their exclusive field of study.<br/><br/>Vlad looked thoughtful, “You will have to familiarize yourself with the feelings that accompany the energy fluctuation. If you sense a spike coming on then yes, it would be wise to release your core. I’m guessing now isn’t one of those times, however.”<br/><br/>Danny nodded reluctantly, pursing his lips in thought. “We already know that starvation brings the weird vibrating pangs-”<br/><br/>Vlad huffed a short, dry laugh. “Oh-, Oh no, my boy. <em> Hunger </em> brings those sensations. Starvation brings you to places you never thought you’d go. Your little fainting spell earlier was nothing.” Danny met his eyes and found almost nothing there.<br/><br/>“What… What was it like for you?”<br/><br/>The older halfa paused for a bit and tilted his head down, eyes almost glazing over as he recalled his mental state from just a few weeks ago. He seemed to think long and hard about which words to use, how to properly express something like this. Even whether or not to share it with Danny. He didn’t say it, but somehow Danny felt just how difficult it was for him to finally speak. “Well, I experienced the physical pains you feel of course, but I probably wasn’t even paying it any mind most of the time. I became very... distracted and unfocused at first, lost in obsessing about how to fix myself, what was going on, how to make it just stop, when I'd try to feed next.”<br/><br/>That sounded about right to Danny, he was distracted all the time, and nibbling on Vlad's neck had plagued his mind for days now, but listening to the man go on was disheartening. Vlad looked up at him with a truly haunted expression on his face.<br/><br/>“That’s when I began hearing a voice. My own voice, but somehow separate from me. I have always been in control of the darker thoughts, and they were mine, but a deep seated malevolence began taking over me. Suddenly I was two people in one space, but our voices sounded the same and impossible to differentiate. The louder it got the weaker I felt, when I wasn’t lashing out.” A nasty sneer began to form on his face, “You’re lucky you didn’t run into me then. Completely unhinged, no control. I would have annihilated you. I truly might have gone through with it.”<br/><br/>Danny puffed out his chest, refusing to be afraid of that look in the older man’s eye. He still wanted to believe that Vlad hadn’t killed him yet because he <em> couldn’t</em>, not because he <em> wouldn’t. </em><br/><br/>“Yeah, maybe, but then you would have never figured this out. You would have gone nuts and starved to death or something.” Vlad mulled this over, the sneer falling into a more contemplative bearing.<br/><br/>Ah, sweet death, he thought. He wouldn’t say it out loud and scare the boy more than he already had.<br/><br/>“And this is where science comes in.” He declared, derailing that dark train of a conversation. “I want to try and cure this affliction, or at least make the substitute. However, now that we’ve come to the conclusion that your core is still stabilizing, running these tests with your ectoplasm may affect the accuracy of the results.” Vlad’s cape fluttered behind him as he walked to the other end of his lab and picked up a large syringe and turned his upper body to look devilishly at Danny over his shoulder.<br/><br/>“But who’s to say we shouldn’t give it a shot, Little Badger?” Danny backed away as Vlad turned the rest of the way and began casually walking up to him with the needle.<br/><br/>“Um, I’m to say! I’m not going to be your guinea pig, especially if you aren’t even sure it will be successful. You just said I’m too unstable. Hell no.” Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy.<br/><br/>“But of course, Daniel, I had no intention of taking a sample with you like this. I intended to stabilize you first.” Danny sighed in only slight relief and Vlad began to shake his head. “Honestly, what good would the sample be if your core is a bottomed out mess? Who knows what could happen? Do you think I want my lab to explode? I’m not an imbecile like some.”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, a bit embarrassed by his own scaredy-cat behavior, and turned to walk back to the computer ahead of Vlad when he felt the man literally <em>stab him in the back</em> and suck the life out of him through the syringe. He screamed, for some reason not expecting the assault. No one should turn their back on Plasmius. He looked back to Vlad to find the man trying not to grin like a maniac as he stared down at Danny.<br/><br/>He genuinely enjoyed Danny’s pain and fear. The boy was mad, mostly at himself for not seeing it coming, but also at Vlad for just… being Vlad.<br/><br/>The man inspected the syringe in his hand when he got his fill of Danny’s suffering. “Then again, I’d bet it wouldn’t hurt to test a sample like this one.” He shuffled away leaving Danny on the floor.<br/><br/>Slowly the boy managed to get up and aimed his hand to ectoblast Vlad in the back so hard that he flew forward into a tray and broke one of the beakers that had been resting on the counter.<br/><br/>Vlad twisted around angrily but Danny was up and charging another blast aimed at the man’s face. “You deserve that and you know it.”<br/><br/>A fangy sneer took over Plasmius’ face. “I deserve a lot of things, Daniel.” And a much larger blast erupted from his clawed hands directly from his now blazing core, throwing Danny across the room and almost knocking him into the Ghost Zone.<br/><br/>Danny felt the heat enveloped him as he leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath. It was too hot to even breathe but he managed to pull a frost from his core, cooling the air around him until he could get a decent lungful.<br/><br/>But that made his core feel even worse. He groaned, only able to watch helplessly as Plasmius approached, looking down his nose at Danny’s crumpled, weakened form.<br/><br/>“Not your brightest move, hmm Little Badger?”<br/><br/>Danny grunted, “Fuck you.”<br/><br/>“Language, Daniel.”<br/><br/>“I’m eighteen!”<br/><br/>Vlad knelt down, “That doesn’t mean you can bring that trash talk into <em> my </em>lab.” He teased. “I’m your God-father. Honestly, where are your manners, boy?”</p><p>“Up your ass.”<br/><br/>Vlad tsked, “Well, now I’m not even sure I want to give you what you need.”<br/><br/>His core flared a biting cold around them as if it could hear Vlad.<br/><br/>“Fine, whatever Fruit loop, I’ll mind my language! Just make this stop!”<br/><br/>Vlad blinked as a thought entered his head, his smirk falling. That was really all the boy came for then, just his fix. He realized he unknowingly let the idea that Daniel was interested in all of this study make him hopeful for company or a lab partner of sorts. He couldn’t believe how stupid the thought was, and how stupid he felt for even <em>subconsciously</em> entertaining it. </p><p>The fledgling just didn’t know how to get to the point and say what he wanted.<br/><br/>Danny swore a look of despair flashed through Vlad’s hateful stare, “There is no need to play coy when you come to me to feed. Next time don’t take up my time feigning interest.”<br/><br/>Danny leaned towards him, eyes fixated on the veins of Plasmius’ neck. He actually began to salivate at the thought of sinking his throbbing teeth in. It wasn’t necessarily the taste, but the feeling of his body buzzing as it consumed the other halfa. Upon hearing Vlad’s words he blinked through the haze and grabbed the halfa’s cape in pathetic grip.<br/><br/>“I’m not ‘feigning interest’! I want to know <em> why </em> this is happening to us as much as you do, it just <em> hurts </em> !” Danny couldn’t believe Vlad was being like this. Is it because he blasted him? The guy was so freaking moody!<br/><br/>He groaned in annoyance as Plasmius simply walked away from him. Danny pushed himself into a position closer to sitting than lying there and suddenly his bipolar ass nemesis was back with a green substance in a long vial.<br/><br/>“It’s not yours.” Danny noticed right away, objecting. He craved the bright pink ectoplasm from before.<br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow, a little impressed by the unusual straightforwardness coming from Daniel right then, “I’m not giving you the satisfaction of biting me again, especially considering your complete lack of finesse.”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes flickered from Vlad’s mouth to the vial, still unsure.<br/><br/>“For science, my boy. We need to know if you can metabolize other signatures.” and Vlad inched the vial closer to Danny’s mouth.<br/><br/>He moved to grab the vial but his arms felt like noodles after pushing to sit him up. The older halfa became frustrated and grabbed him by the chin to tilt his head back. Danny watched the concentration on the man’s face from hooded eyes as Vlad carefully poured the liquid down Danny’s throat. He looked hopeful.<br/><br/>Danny sputtered a bit but drank it all. Vlad was right, this was different from the biting. Not only was it directly from the source the other way, but he found that he did indeed miss the satisfaction of biting into his enemy’s neck.<br/><br/>Plus, his core wasn’t buzzing or responding like it did the first time. Danny still felt weak. He couldn’t describe the sensation as full, but instead it felt like his stomach, or core, was full of soda instead of a proper meal. It wasn’t the same as that of course, but he couldn’t think of any other way to describe the emptiness. Nausea joined the waves of pain from his core. Luckily he didn’t have to explain it all out loud.<br/><br/>“It didn’t work.” Vlad observed, face falling in disappointment.<br/><br/>“How can you tell from the outside?” Danny asked, wondering if his appearance changed or something.<br/><br/>Vlad simply got to his feet and with a high brow he vaguely gestured to all of Danny who was still slumped to the floor. “I can also feel <em>your</em> core as well, to some degree.” He’d have to hunt down the reason for that, along with everything else. It had to be more than the fact that they were both halfas and feeders. Could it really be that simple? </p><p>“You feel quite chaotic still, as if the last sample didn’t even reach your core- a complete waste. No change.” He said observationally, reminding Danny of his mom when she spoke into her recorder while doing experiments.<br/><br/>Plasmius grabbed Danny by the arm and dragged him over to where the computer sat. Had he any strength after using his core against Plasmius’ blast he would have shoved an ice sickle up the halfa’s ass for man handling him like this.<br/><br/>Then again, it really wasn’t too different from the way they usually interacted.<br/><br/>Vlad dropped him in favor of typing his findings into his notes when he reached the keyboard. Danny contemplated biting the leg that was closest to him just to spite the man.<br/><br/>“Now I suppose we can sate you.” And Danny tried not to look too relieved as Plasmius reached for one of the pink beakers and crouched down to Danny’s spot on the floor, pushing it to his lips.<br/><br/>“It’s not hot like last time…” Danny complained, mostly to grate on the other’s nerves. Vlad wanted to throttle him as he reached into his core and let the heat flow from his hand until the beaker nearly boiled.<br/><br/>“And now it is. Hurry up and drink so I can stab you again and take sample B.”<br/><br/>Danny placed his lips on the glass with a scowl and swallowed the burning liquid down greedily. This time he began to feel his strength begin to return almost immediately. Oh that was good. His body tingled pleasantly, though perhaps not as satisfyingly intense as before. His core thrummed pleasantly. This time he actually drank more, and he was feeling completely recharged after just a few minutes, his core having absorbed more of the other halfa’s warm energy.<br/><br/>His peace was short lived as he was stabbed once again by one of Plasmius’ syringes.<br/><br/>“Fuck! Why are those things so big?” He watched the other man raise the syringe to the light after removing it from Danny's person.<br/><br/>Vlad only tilted his head back and stared up down his nose at the sample, still enjoying Danny’s pain but keeping his main focus on his prize, “Ectoplasm is quite thick, my boy.” He said simply.<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes but didn’t move to start another brawl. Now he felt like he had a fighting chance if they duked it out, but Danny really did want to see what they could learn from these experiments so he decided to play nice for now.<br/><br/>“What about you?” Danny asked quietly. Vlad probably wasn’t quite due to feed yet since he still appeared to be stabilized from their last encounter but Danny didn’t want to wait until Plasmius overwhelmed the billionaire’s mind again. The ghost boy began to think about Dan Phantom and the capabilities of his own ghost half.</p><p>Did he and his other half share the same thoughts? Did his morals and boundaries stay the same as both Fenton and Phantom?<br/><br/>Plasmius considered Daniel for half a second before he leaned his elbow on the counter top casually, opening his mouth with his tongue out and catching the few drops that his other hand squirted from the syringe before making a show of swallowing. “There.” He said flatly, “All better.”<br/><br/>Danny nodded, awkwardly disappointed. He wanted to actually see and feel the bite, learn how to do it properly. He bit his lip. Did he dare?<br/><br/>“I… I was, uh, hoping you’d show me? You know, since I lack finesse?”<br/><br/>At first Vlad was unsure exactly what Daniel wanted a demonstration of, but then he remembered when the boy had been pissy about drinking from the test tube. Daniel had really taken the slight critique on his form very personally it seemed. The funniest part was how awkward the boy was acting now, attempting to blend the request into their banter and not draw attention to his averted eyes and reddened cheeks.<br/><br/>He was… Had Daniel gotten some sort of a thrill from the act?<br/><br/>That got a velvety laugh from the older halfa. “Ah, no shame in having a little kink, Daniel. If you want me to bite you then just ask.” And Danny knew Vlad was just teasing him, but it didn’t stop his face from heating up even further. His stomach did flips as his mind unhelpfully supplied images of biting in other scenarios. God he really shouldn't be thinking like this...<br/><br/>Vlad observed him with mirth. The boy actually liked biting? It took all of his self control not to laugh out loud at Danny’s shyness. So easily embarrassed.<br/><br/>Vlad had much darker kinks.<br/><br/>Biting was just his life now, since the accident all those years ago. He hardly batted an eye at the thought, having sucked the lives out of so many meaningless specters. Vlad hadn’t really thought of it in a sexual light until he began noticing Daniel’s lingering stare and averted eyes that night.<br/><br/>At the time he'd reasoned it was likely because they were enemies. He supposed it was also weird considering he was Danny’s godfather on top of that. That made sense, but there was apparently a bit more to Daniel's discomfort...<br/><br/>Still, reasonable or not, he had to mess with the boy. Stringing Danny along a bit sounded like too much fun to pass up, and it wasn’t like Vlad felt anything, so why not entertain himself at Daniel’s expense?<br/><br/>“Give me your arm.” He requested simply, taking the hesitantly offered hand and moving unnecessarily close to the other halfa’s body.<br/><br/>The boy was tense but his eyes were wide as he watched Vlad hungrily. Danny swallowed nervously as Plasmius brought the boy’s wrist to his mouth, maintaining eye contact with Danny despite the boy’s attention flickering from his eyes to his teeth.<br/><br/>He bit down slowly, letting Daniel watch his fangs sink into his flesh. He was mesmerized.<br/><br/>And so was Vlad.<br/><br/>Though he hadn’t been particularly needy, Vlad still found himself fully immersed in the act. He’d always assumed that it felt so good because he usually felt like shit prior to feeding, but perhaps there was more to it.<br/><br/>Danny stared at him, watching Plasmius slowly close his eyes and begin to suck at the wound he created. His blush intensified when he saw and felt a forked tongue glide across his skin and he wondered if Vlad knew what he was doing to him.<br/><br/>Danny caught Vlad’s eye peeking at him from the side as the man smirked. Oh yes, Vlad knew exactly what he was doing. He watched as Daniel began to shiver at the overwhelming sensation and he contemplated using his venom to completely undo the young man, just to see more of that delectable reaction.<br/><br/>With that alarming thought Vlad carefully pulled away from the nearly closed wound and wiped his lips, briefly licking what had dripped into his hand from his fingertips.<br/><br/>“And that’s how it’s done.” He turned away from the boy quickly, put off by the delight he felt at the younger halfa’s fixation on him and his messy fingers.<br/><br/>Danny pulled back his wrist and held it close to his chest for a few moments, simply watching as Vlad attempted to busy himself with his notes. The man’s face was casual but it looked forced to Danny. Had that been weird for him too? He decided to drop it.<br/><br/>He flexed his hand experimentally, “Why don’t I feel drained after that? You just took energy from me, right?”</p><p>Vlad glanced back before training his eyes back on his computer. “Ectoplasm, but yes, essentially energy in the end. You had your fill of mine as well, think of it as equal exchange. Core stability relies on balance. Too much and you need to release, too little and you need to feed.”<br/><br/>Vlad picked up the two syringes full of Danny’s ectoplasm and brought his samples over to his microscope to examine them up close once he was ready. He spared Danny one last glance.<br/><br/>“Now that you are stabilized for now you can go. I would rather work on this part of the research alone. I’ll see you next time, Little Badger.”<br/><br/>Danny narrowed his eyes at the dismissive behaviour. Plasmius suddenly wanted nothing to do with him now that he’d obtained his samples. There was something more to the stiffness of the man’s limbs as he tried to ignore Danny, but the thought was fleeting and easily reasoned away, though it was still confusing. At the moment he felt a little used.<br/><br/>Not that someone like Plasmius would care, right?<br/><br/>“Yeah,” he said dejectedly, “next time, Fruit Loop.” And Danny was gone.</p><p>Vlad sighed, alone again.<br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I like my chapter summaries vague. Sorry not sorry. Updates may or may not come slower after this.</p><p>Speaking of slow, this might end up counting as slow burn. Probably. Definitely. I enjoy the pining and suffering.</p><p>Love you.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Paroxysm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad is mad.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Y'all thank Kittyatemytaco, they sold their soul for this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/><br/>Sam and Tucker hadn’t spoken since he began telling them about his new ghostly developments. They were just staring at him. He took an awkward bite of his sandwich and looked down to his feet. <br/><br/>Nearly two more weeks had passed since that meeting with Vlad in his lab, more than four since he first bit him, and school hadn’t blurred by so fast for Danny before. He’d been so distracted and he kept silent to his friends in regards to his feeder status for as long as he could but it was getting complicated and keeping it bottled up just wasn’t healthy and it definitely wasn’t his style. <br/><br/>That was more like Vlad’s style. <br/><br/>Danny had called them to meet him at the park to hang out picnic-style, not wanting to be in his empty house since his parents were out in some forest hunting a ghost for the past two days. Sam brought a large and worn quilt to sit on and a lettuce wrap, Danny brought some snacks and sodas and Tucker offered to make him and Danny turkey sandwiches. What better time to go over everything? He’d been putting off talking to them about this for a solid month and he was beginning to feel guilty now as well. <br/><br/>Sam and Tucker have always been there for him, he told them everything, but this was a harder subject to broach for some reason. <br/><br/>It was one thing to talk about Vlad and his monstrousness, but it was another to admit that he was the same. <br/><br/>When he finally opened his mouth it all came out like word vomit, hence their stunned silence. Danny told them about what he and Vlad discussed, exchanging ectoplasm and researching with the man, having what he hoped was some sort of unspoken truce for now. He supposed he should broach that topic with Vlad next time they met. <br/><br/>He danced around how he actually felt about the whole thing, not wanting his friends to worry. Truthfully it was like chipping away another piece of his humanity. Not that he wasn’t grateful for his life and his abilities, Danny loved when he found a new power or trained up an existing one. He supposed it was about time for a not so favorable ghostly gift to develop. <br/><br/>Or curse. <br/><br/>He didn’t want to be unappreciative about all of the amazing things he could do, but he of course yearned for the normal things he couldn’t do as well. <br/><br/>He didn’t like lying to his parents. He didn’t enjoy falling behind in class. He missed sleeping through the night instead of fighting ghosts and having night terrors. <br/><br/>He hated constantly questioning his purpose, why something like this would happen to him. <br/><br/>Having an existential crisis every night had already left an absolutely sleepless look in his powder blue eyes. <br/><br/>Danny also kept a few other things to himself, embarrassing things like the tingly sensation of his body buzzing when he fed, how he had a newfound adoration for fangs and biting. <br/><br/>The biting wasn’t really all that new. Sam knew all about it from when they dated. <br/><br/>But now his little... quirk(he refused to say kink) was rearing its head around Vlad Plasmius of all people. <br/><br/>It was confusing to think about. <br/><br/>Tucker broke the silence first, likely becoming uncomfortable the longer it stretched. “So you guys seriously sat down and had a scientific discussion, no fighting?” <br/><br/>That made Danny laugh, “Oh no, we blasted each other a few times, he stabbed me twice actually.” He laughed. “With a syringe.” He added as their jaws dropped. <br/><br/>“That sounds more like Vlad, even if it wasn’t a syringe.” Sam threw in flatly. “So you’re a vampire now?” <br/><br/>Danny made a slight gagging face, unable to imagine having to suck blood from humans. In the end he was essentially doing the same thing to ghosts, but it just felt different. Weird... er.<br/><br/>“Ecto-Vampire.” Tucker supplied. <br/><br/>“Basically,” Danny shrugged. “Call me Dracula, baby.” <br/><br/>They shook their heads, “Nah man, if anyone is Dracula, it’s Plasmius. Hell, even Vlad in human form looks like a vampire. Evil demon blood sucker is definitely <em> his </em> look.” <br/><br/>Sam nodded along with Tucker, “Yeah, I’m kind of worried about you. Vlad is a messed up dude, even more off his rocker lately. We joke, but he could be planning his next big scheme, waiting for you to trust him. He could tie you up and just keep you as a blood-bag forever, who knows?” <br/><br/>Danny gave her a deadpan stare, “That’s <em>exactly</em> what I needed floating around in my head.” He was already feeling depressed and anxious, those ideas just made him sink further into the dread he felt in his stomach. He put his sandwich down, no longer interested in food. <br/><br/>She looked apologetic and reached for his hand, frowning as it curled into a fist away from her. “Sorry… Like I said, I’m just worried.” <br/><br/>Tucker scratched his head under his hat, “Yeah, you being his only viable source could be both good and bad. Good, because you have something he wants and could use it to manipulate him. Bad, because Vlad is not easy to manipulate and will be very familiar with that tactic himself. He could do the same or worse to you.” Tucker paused as Danny seemed to only deflate more. <br/><br/>“Hey, gotta be real here. You of all people know how twisted the guy is. Just… keep your guard up, okay?” Danny nodded grimly and tried to listen as his friends attempted to change the subject to school and other lighter topics. <br/><br/>After a few minutes he gave up and retreated into his own head with his thoughts. Was this something he should tell Jazz? No, definitely not. She’d probably try to spy on Vlad for him again. Plus surviving off other ghosts wasn’t a discussion he wanted to have with his sister yet. It had been weird enough back when he went to the future. The fact that she interacted with Dan and saw what he became still made it hard for him to look her in the eye sometimes. </p><p>What if this hunger was a precursor to his descent? He was literally consuming Vlad, what if it changed him into his darker self? Perhaps they <em>won’t</em> fuse like in that other timeline, but was he cursed to become his cold and sadistic future self? No. Nonono, that couldn't be right.<br/><br/>“Danny!” He looked up and blinked. Sam and Tucker were standing with most of their stuff packed up. He moved off of the blanket so Sam could continue to roll it up. <br/><br/>“I called your name like four times. Are you okay?” Sam asked softly. He glanced up to see Tucker staring at him as well, equally concerned. <br/><br/>“Ah, I’m fine.” He waved them off, “Just trying to figure it all out.” <br/><br/>They nodded after a bit. “Well, there were a few things we wanted to get from the mall. You wanna come with?” <br/><br/>Danny pretended to consider it despite having his answer before she even finished. “Nah, I don’t need anything right now. Besides, my parents should be home in an hour so I should actually do my chores. I’ll see you guys.” He’d gotten his chores done before leaving the house in an attempt to busy his mind before the talk, but they didn’t know that. <br/><br/>If they could tell he was lying they didn’t bother calling him out. They did share a suspicious glance but in the end they nodded and made their way to the parking lot after saying goodbye for the day. <br/><br/>“Text me!” He shouted after them, receiving a wave of acknowledgement as they stepped into Sam’s car. <br/><br/>He turned and started his walk home before they pulled out of the parking lot, driving off in the opposite direction. A shaky sigh rattled from his lips. Danny loved his friends, and they hadn’t reacted negatively, but the interaction had been a lot to deal with. Too much for Danny’s brain as it worked to foresee the outcomes they presented, then every other possible future. <br/><br/>Clockwork was the reason he thought this way now. He wanted to curse the time keeper, he never bothered to think very far ahead before, but he knew that he would have been in much more trouble had they not met. Dan still lingered in Danny’s nightmares. He didn’t think he would ever forget that timeline- and it was technically only six years away... <br/><br/>He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and noticed a text received about twenty minutes ago. It was his mom, saying they would be staying out in the woods another day and that he could order pizza. It was already six-thirty and he had no plans for the evening to distract him. <br/><br/>Danny sighed. He didn’t really want company, but the idea of sitting alone at home all night just sunk him further into his stormy disposition. Strangely the idea of visiting Vlad popped into his head. Instead of dismissing it he considered how they would spend their time. He grimaced at the thought of more syringes but found that he was quite in the mood for a fight, maybe get feeding out of the way. The adrenaline would likely knock him out of his funk and knock Plasmius on his ass. <br/><br/>Danny smiled at the thought and walked just a tad bit faster to reach his home. Perhaps Vlad would be in the mood for a fight as well. His blood had already begun pumping in anticipation and he smashed his hand a little too hard onto the button to open the portal. He knew the way to Vlad’s lair pretty well by now so getting there had been no issue like the first few times so many years ago. This time his core guided him as well, far too familiar with Plasmius’ ecto-signature by now. <br/><br/>Danny plastered a smug look on his face as he waltzed through the swirling portal and into Vlad’s lab like he owned the place, knowing it would piss the guy off. <br/><br/>Which was good since Danny wanted him good and angry for their battle. <br/><br/>The lab was empty. <br/><br/>Pink ectoplasm and shards of glass covered the tabletop and oozed to the floor, only helping the portal in making the entire room tinted in shades of pink. Danny noticed the rolling tray and its stand thrown across the room and the computer may as well have been smashed to bits. The fractured screen of the monitor flashed the same small text page rapidly and the printer was smoking, sure to spark and light up the scattered papers still periodically shooting out of it. Splashes of green mixed into the puddles along with Vlad’s ectoplasm and Danny felt slightly annoyed that those painful samples were taken(stolen) for nothing. Well, aside from the fact that they brought a nice contrast to the pink. <br/><br/>He breathed a long suffering sigh and began to march up the stairs into Vlad’s home. He could have flown but he was feeling dramatic and the stomping felt good. He walked around, the pull of Vlad’s boiling energy dragging him to a room far too similar to the one in Vlad’s dream and just as warm. The large mahogany desk under which Vlad’s dream human self had curled up, a long bookshelf full of books at which the mans’ ghost had cornered his ‘son’, Danny. The window behind the desk looked smaller than the one in the dream, not as tall but still antique looking, almost medieval in design. Despite that one small thing reminding him that he hadn't just stepped back into Vlad's dream his stomach still dropped as he recalled his own brutal death. <br/><br/>The breath stuttered and he began backing out of the room when a low drawl brought his attention to a shadowy corner in the study.</p><p>“Danny <em> Phantom…</em>” <br/><br/>Vlad sat sprawled in a leather chair looking more disarranged than Danny had ever seen him. In his human form at least. His silver hair was loose from its normal pulled back style and parts hung carelessly in his hollow eyes. He was actually slouching, almost sliding down the chair, his wide spread legs the only thing holding him there. A lamp was turned on to bathe the man in a low and warm light, also illuminating the small end table that the lamp rested on. <br/><br/>Below it was a single glass and a half empty bottle of brownish liquor. <br/><br/>“What is it now, boy? Can’t you see how busy I am?” And he laughed darkly at his own joke, picking up the glass and emptying it in one gulp. <br/><br/>Danny just stayed frozen in the doorway, still taking in the sight before him. He’d never seen Vlad drunk. Sure he knew the man drank, but he’d never seen him actually intoxicated. He wasn’t half as prim and proper as usual, and his stiff posture was long gone, along with his care of what Danny thought of him. <br/><br/>Danny pulled himself together and plastered on a smug smirk, “I came to fight you but it wouldn’t be much of a battle in this state, would it?” He teased, trying to simulate some sense of normalcy to the situation. “You’re out of it, just as weak and vulnerable as you were when I rescued you-” He flinched as a glass shot through his head to shatter against the frame behind him. He looked back at the wall before snapping his head back to Vlad, counting his lucky stars that he was able to go intangible fast enough. <br/><br/>“Couldn’t see that coming from a weak, vulnerable drunk?” Vlad smirked and began drinking from the bottle. “Maybe we should train after all, Daniel. You’re becoming quite dull.” <br/><br/>Danny scoffed, but it was true that he knew better than to underestimate Vlad. He really should be following Tuck’s advice and keeping his guard up tonight. Masters was obviously more unpredictable when he was free of his already microscopic inhibitions. Why was he getting hammered anyway? <br/><br/>Danny still really didn’t quite understand grown people’s obsession with alcohol, but he knew of its effects on the mind and body. He vaguely wondered if it had the same effects on a ghost. Probably not considering Vlad was staying human when his ghostly nemesis was goading him on for a fight. <br/><br/>Then again, if Vlad was in human form, wouldn’t that be unfair? Turning back to Fenton crossed Danny’s mind. If Vlad moved to attack him while in human form then he’d definitely be quick enough to go ghost if need be. This weirdness was already distracting him a bit from his urge to punch something anyway. Now he kind of wanted Vlad to talk to him and explain himself, what he was thinking about that had him so bummed out. People spill all kinds of things when they’re drunk. <br/><br/>Danny decided to give it a shot. “Whatever…” he said, dismissing Vlad’s earlier jab at his ego. <br/><br/>White rings of lights enveloped him and he was as human as Vlad at the moment. For some reason the fact that Danny was human had the man looking <em>more</em> apprehensive than before. Danny tried not to look afraid as he moved closer to the man, despite the <em>‘Get the FUCK away from me!’</em> glare he was receiving. He stood in front of Vlad’s slouched form, the man not even appearing threatened enough to move despite his tension, and the look burned through any self-assured resolve Danny was trying to emulate. <br/><br/>His rage was almost palpable and the air around Vlad burned hotter than the air by the doorway. Danny almost wished he could read minds but one look into the other halfa’s eyes said he would regret it immensely. Every muscle in Vlad's body was taut, his form almost shaking but also eerily still as he eyed Danny. <br/><br/>It was so damned strange. <br/><br/>His own face softened, feeling pity for the man. It reminded Danny of the abused dogs he saw on those commercials. He didn’t know a lot about the man, but after growing up a bit he knew Vlad had to have experienced some very unpleasant things to become the man he was. Jazz always told him <em>'</em><em>Hurt People, Hurt People, Danny.'  </em>Meaning those who’ve been wronged are the ones that lash out at others, and Plasmius was the first bastard that came to mind upon hearing her say that at the time. </p><p>Vlad was hurt. The man was falling apart in front of him, drowning in whatever frustrating emotions that plagued him. And now he was trying to drown himself in alcohol to somehow remedy that.<br/><br/>“Are you okay, Masters?” His voice was small, hoping not to set off his arch nemesis. The man was a ticking time bomb on a regular day, this was something else, so he tried to tread softly. <br/><br/>Vlad just maintained his glare, remaining deadly silent. Danny sighed again, reaching forward to touch his arm or comfort him in some way but Vlad unexpectedly shifted his weight away and to the side and without warning Danny received a swift kick to the stomach that sent him flying into the desk behind him several feet away. He smashed into it still in his human form, having to take the brunt of the it with his back and having all of the air in his leave lungshim as he made impact with the heavy wooden desk, no bowing or breaking to soften the blow. <br/><br/>Had Vlad been Plasmius, Danny would have likely flew <em>through</em> that heavy desk and out from the curtained window behind it. As a human man that had been a serious attack, or from Vlad’s perspective, defense. <br/><br/>From Danny’s perspective, it was bullshit. <br/><br/>“What the… HELL?” Danny wheezed. So maybe he should have taken Vlad’s glare more seriously, the man was obviously in an even darker mood than he thought. He couldn’t say it was unexpected, and the glare should have been warning enough, more than enough considering his opponent’s habit of cheating and surprise attacks. </p><p><em> Guard officially up! </em> He mentally snarked as he changed to Phantom, pulling himself and supporting his weight on the desk. “I was human, dude, I wasn’t gonna attack you! I was trying to level the playing field!” <br/><br/>Now Vlad scoffed, “Another idiotic mistake on your part, my boy. If you wanted an equal playing field against me you should have stayed in ghost form.” He gloated, his smile returning when Danny grit his teeth and practically growled. <br/><br/>“God you’re such a fucking dick. You literally lashed out at the one person who felt bad for you and wanted to help. I’m going to have a huge ass bruise now!” Danny was angry but he faltered when the temperature rose once again and the papers on the desk behind him went up in flames. He jerked away and turned to the man who was now standing from his chair in the corner, bottle in hand. <br/><br/>“No one asked you to break into my home, Daniel. And how do you think <em> you </em> can help me? What could a barely-legal child know about the things that haunt me?” Vlad growled bitterly as he walked around the opposite side of the desk that Danny had fled from, paper still burning and flickering there somehow. Vlad moved the curtain a bit with the hand holding the bottle to look out into the night, arms crossing over his chest in petulance. <br/><br/>“Well,” Danny started, “I was willing to listen until you <em> kicked me across the room.</em>” <br/><br/>He saw Vlad’s reflection’s lips fall open in what looked like surprise before he tamped it down and closed his eyes, “Leave me alone, Daniel.” and then his lips closed as well, falling into a thin line as he tried to take calming breaths through his nose. <br/><br/>Vlad was clearly trying to reign himself in. Danny was on edge now but couldn’t help letting his walls fall at the sight before him. Vlad really was just a sad, fucked up guy. <br/><br/>And Danny felt sorry for it, “Look, Vlad… If you nee-” The bottle being flung at him interrupted, as he had to duck, this time not quick enough to let it fly through him. It too shattered, this time against the door frame. Danny growled, “If you could stop having your tantrum we could actually have a conversation!” <br/><br/>“I don’t <em> want </em> to have this conversation with you right now, Daniel!” Vlad ran his now free hands over his face and through his silver hair. “Must I really beat you to a bloody pulp to get you to go away?” <br/><br/>Danny beckoned Vlad with both hands in a ‘<em>Come get some’ </em> fashion, “Well I did come for a fight, didn’t I?” He knew he was playing with fire but now he <em> really </em> wanted to kick Vlad’s ass. <br/><br/>Vlad clenched his fist, a dark determination creeping into his gaze as he marched up to Danny, black rings sweeping over his body mid-stride. Danny settled into a low fighting stance but nothing could prepare him for when Vlad suddenly teleported right in front of him and knocked his head back with an uppercut.</p><p>Danny’s vision went black and spots danced in his vision as low light crept back in. Plasmius wasn’t pulling punches tonight and he continued to land two jabs at Danny’s face and one to his left side before being elbowed and then kicked away and back into the study. Danny held his jaw, thankful to be in ghost form, and watched as Vlad got up and began charging an intense ectoblast while flying towards the younger ghost. He released it only a few yards away and Danny could only throw up a shield so he could focus on pulling from his core.<br/><br/>When the shield dropped he began hitting Plasmius with his coldest attacks- they were the most biting, but it was also to cool the air a bit so he could breathe. Plasmius seemed to breathe in the heat just fine while Danny was desperately trying not to suffocate. The fire on the desk was extinguished with one thick layer of frost and the heat dissipated. Oxygen started flowing into his lungs once more, making it easier to think and focus his attacks against Plasmius. It was a futile effort, however. <br/><br/>The other halfa definitely wasn’t letting up and Danny was quickly becoming exhausted. He started to realize that perhaps Vlad had been toying with him all these years, because he rarely saw this much unstoppable fury take over the man. There was no taunting or laughing at Danny, no monologue, and the intensity of these attacks was far greater than those in their normal altercations. Nothing like before. Vlad wasn’t just angry at the moment, he was absolutely murderous. <br/><br/>Danny formed another shield that Vlad nearly punched through and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this up. Fear crept into his heart and he shook his head in frustration. No. He wasn’t scared of Vlad. The man was throwing a fit and Danny would <em> not </em> let himself get stomped by a drunk baby. <br/><br/>He jerked the shield back, grabbing the front of Vlad's cape and pulling the man closer before blowing frost directly into his face until the other halfa was frozen mid-lunge. His chest heaved to catch his breath and he stared at the cold snarl on his enemy’s face for a moment. Danny just noticed that Plasmius’ usual devil horned hair was down just like before and flowing crazily, or it had been before Danny froze it. His dark circles looked more pronounced, adding to the Dracula look, just like Tucker said. <br/><br/>Now if only he’d listened to that other thing Tuck said. He felt like an idiot for literally walking up and asking for a fight with one of the strongest, most twisted ghosts he knew, just because he was bored and weirdly lonely. He’d been over confident, <em> foolish</em>, as the man in front of him would say. </p><p>Lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice the red light of Vlad’s core pulsing angrily, melting the frost with each wave and flare of energy that was beginning to burst from his reserves. Danny only realizes this when Vlad’s face bares even more of his pointed teeth and suddenly heat and light from his core are bubbling up until Danny can see the reddish pink glow emanating from the man’s mouth. <br/><br/>Danny was hit with the terrifying thought, ‘<em>Can Plasmius breathe fire?!’ </em> before he closed his eyes and prepared either wail or die. <br/><br/><b>“Time Out!”</b> Danny had never been so glad to see Clockwork. His head flicked around to search for the source of the voice. The time keeper floated toward him from behind Vlad's now frozen form. Sure, not the frozen like Danny would have gone for, but his method obviously didn’t work so Clockwork had him beat. <br/><br/>His wide eyes were again drawn to Vlad who looked like he had swallowed a sun. The glow shining from his mouth, eyes and core looked like someone pressed pause on an explosion. His future as Dan and The Nasty Burger explosion flashed through his head against his will and a plume of pain grew in his chest. Vlad would have killed him, that or seriously fucked him up. The broken bones and bruises he hid from his parents after their fights in the past had been child’s play.</p><p>“He… He could have killed me.” Danny breathed, the realization finally sinking in.<br/><br/>“No,” Clockwork’s booming voice echoed. “If he truly wanted you dead he would have killed you a long time ago.” </p><p>Danny’s head jerked back and up to the larger ghost’s face. “You really know how to comfort a guy, don'tcha?” <br/><br/>Clockwork slipped him the tiniest of smiles, “There is very little comfort in the truth. You will learn that in your journey, as all beings have before you.” His gaze drifted to Plasmius, shaking his head in… disappointment? “The worst lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves.” <br/><br/>Danny observed the time ghost carefully. He’d always had a soft spot for Danny, but did that extend to other ghosts? Other half-ghosts perhaps? After all, Vlad became Plasmius over twenty years ago, he was certain to have caught Clockwork’s eye over the years with all of his meddling and plotting. <br/><br/>“I can’t say I’m particularly fond of many, but you, and sometimes Plasmius, are within that circle, yes.” <br/><br/>Danny nodded dumbly before his brows shot up, “You can read my mind too?” <br/><br/>Clockwork fixed him with an amused stare. “I see your future, Danny. Of course I can see what you are about to say in said future. Some things, however,” He glanced towards Vlad, “are quite unpredictable, but of the many timelines, you question my relationships in all of them.” Danny blinked, a bit embarrassed to know that his nosiness spanned over the dimensions.</p><p> “Some things are set, others are not.” The older ghost said thoughtfully. He watched as the young halfa walked over and touched a suspended lock of Plasmius’ long black hair. It moved, causing him to jump back, but stayed fixed in place when he removed the pressure of his touch.</p><p>“Are you sure he’s a fire core? Not like, an explosion core?”<br/><br/>Clockwork chuckled and leaned on his staff. This was why he enjoyed interacting with 'The Ghost Child', his sense of humor when it came to misfortune was endlessly endearing. <br/><br/>“This is quite common for an unstable fire core.” Danny was about to go off about how Vlad fed him all of that bullshit about being a grown ass man but he silenced himself when Clockwork raised a silencing hand to continue. “Vladimir may be mature in age and wisdom, however, ‘emotionally stable’ isn’t an applicable adjective for him. His core is simply reacting as anyone’s core would under the right stress.” <br/><br/>Danny nodded knowingly. The man did have a nasty temper. If he regularly lashed out as a human, why not his ghost self? Danny began to understand that he wasn’t actually going to be the only student in this mentorship they were starting. “So… what you said before, about our worst lies being to ourselves. What is Vlad telling himself that’s got him all… like this?” Danny asks, trying to understand how his nemesis became the way he was. <br/><br/>The time keeper’s lips thinned as he too approached Vlad. “Vladimir interprets the world a bit differently, but he is not unique in his views. He has told himself many lies, but he’s believed just as many from other key sources in his life growing up. I will not show you the unfortunate highlights of his life, that is not my place, but his mind and heart, as you say, have been poisoned by certain events in that life." His gaze moved from one halfa to the other. "Some lie to feign strength or superiority, some lie to survive. Vladimir mostly lies to himself because he has no one else to lie to.” <br/><br/>Danny squinted as he puzzled over Clockwork's words. Vlad was crazy because he was lonely?<br/><br/>He shook his head, not having any of that. “One- Vlad lies to everyone, like, all the time. Two- just because bad things have happened and hurt you doesn’t mean you get a free pass to do bad things to others. It explains it, but it never excuses it.” Clockwork nodded sagely. <br/><br/>“Nothing will ever excuse the atrocities that he has committed, but was your question not about why he is the way he is?” Danny was tempted to roll his eyes but refrained out of respect for the ancient ghost. Clockwork smirked, hinting to Danny that he knew exactly what the boy wanted to do. <br/><br/>“The mission I gave you was not to simply rescue Vlad from the prison in the ghost zone.” He moved closer to Danny and placed a large blue hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I believe you can rescue Vladimir from the prison that is his own mind. I believe <em> only </em> you can do this.” <br/><br/>Clockwork waved his staff and Vlad was magically gone from the room. Danny followed the cloaked form as the time keeper floated down the halls of Vlad’s mansion. <br/><br/>“Money has not saved him. Fame has not mended the cracks in his heart. Success has not brought his life the meaning he wants his time on earth to have. He has all of these things, and yet… he is still miserable, angry and most painfully alone.” Clockwork stopped at a door and phased through. “I believe this is why he hasn’t killed you off like most other obstacles. You are the only one who ever will come close to understanding him to the core, and he knows that on some level.” <br/><br/>Danny followed, hanging on the ghost’s every word. His eyes immediately found the large four poster bed with an ornate canopy, then they flitted over the form of the occupant. Vlad was human again, tucked comfortably into his bed and off into dreamland. <br/><br/>“Nocturne has told me of his time within the realm of Vladimir’s being. His spirit is dark and selfish and vengeful, and the manifestation of his ghost represents that which he feels, or rather, what he felt. You yourself are not so misaligned in either form, and have thus remained mostly human in appearance so far.” <br/><br/>Danny frowned, “That kind of explains why his ghost form looks like a monster...” He mumbled, lost in thinking about the blue-tinged skin and red eyes, not to mention a beastly grin that did made his chest feel tight. Clockwork sent him a smirk that had him feeling a bit exposed, like the man could indeed read his mind instead of see the future, and Danny’s cheeks heated ever so slightly. Luckily another thing crossed Danny’s mind and effectively distracted him. “So... You and Nocturne are ‘dear friends’?”</p><p>Clockwork looked as though he expected that question too. “Yes, we have discussions and enjoy each other’s presence when we cross paths. Danny Phantom is not the only ghost with allies. Even Plasmius has a semblance of an alliance with Skulker and Ghostwriter.” They began walking out of the room, leaving Vlad to sleep it off.</p><p>“Nocturne holds an interest in you as well. He said your subconscious was very… intriguing to say the least. There are a few lies that even <em> you </em> tell yourself, but those will come to reveal themselves to you in due time.” He wore an all-knowing smirk as they phased through the secret entrance of Vlad’s basement lab and descended the stairs. <br/><br/>Danny cocked a brow. “Me? I mean, he only saw that dream I had about being popular and Sam and my powers. Not a whole lot to see from that.” He didn’t even like Sam like that anymore, so what lies could Nocturne have dug up? <br/><br/>Clockwork smirked, “Ah yes, something he and I bond over. We see all, within our respective realms, and nothing is ever buried too deep for Nocturne to take note of.” Every inappropriate thought he’d ever had flashed through Danny’s mind and his face turned tomato red. <br/><br/>“Simply look within yourself, as Vladimir refuses to do, and you will find the answers you seek. Until next time, Ghost Child.” And in one circular swoop of the staff a blue portal opened and swallowed Clockwork up before Danny could even form a protest.</p><p>The lab was bathed in pink light once more.<br/><br/>Once he was alone Danny busied himself with cleaning up Vlad’s mess. He’d cleaned up enough goo in his parents’ lab to know how to handle a shit show of this magnitude. He had a system: Clean(dump) all of the broken materials off the counter top to the floor, sweep and mop it all up, glass and goo, into one bin with a lining, mop again and squeegee, then sanitize. Was it the safe and professional way his mom, dad and several lab teachers taught him? No.<br/><br/>Did it work for now? Yes. <br/><br/>Now exhausted, Danny turned human and tiredly walked over to the computer area. That dickhead could clean his own study. That or have a butler do it for his rich ass. He didn't even like doing his own chores, much less someone else's. Maybe one philosophy of Vlad’s wasn’t too far off; Sometimes, being kind to others <em> doesn’t </em> feel all that good. <br/><br/>Danny shook the thought from his head. He was obviously nothing like Vlad. <br/><br/><em> “The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> He growled upon remembering Clockwork’s word of wisdom. That’s right. <br/><br/>“I need to ‘search within myself’!” He mocked, a parody of Clockwork’s voice. He did the dramatic air quotes and all. It was more dangerous to think one’s self was incapable of certain evils than it was to entertain those ‘evil’ ideas, and Danny was fully aware of his many character flaws.<br/><br/>He huffed. Deep down he knew the time ghost was sincere and right above all else in this situation. Danny wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, so it wasn’t like he was on the opposite end of the spectrum from Vlad’s doom and death, so he shouldn't pretend otherwise. Those thoughts could wait until another time, though.<br/><br/>His sigh when he reached the computer was long suffering as he realized he would likely end up asking Sam to teach him how to actually meditate or something. <br/><br/>Danny couldn’t really do anything with the man’s computer, and Vlad may want to recover something from it, so he left it. The other unidentifiable machines were left there as well once he deemed them safe from blowing up. He froze the printer though, it had been smoking since he got there. Plus he was tired of the sound the it made when it was all out of paper. He went about gathering the fallen pages and frowned once they were close enough for his eyes to read the text. <br/><br/>Most was gibberish to him but he could tell these were the results from some test or another that Vlad had been running. It was the page that was flashing on his busted up monitor. Danny’s first thought for some reason was some kind of ghost STD but he laughed that off. There’s no way Vlad was getting laid. <br/><br/>He paused when his mind questioned, ‘<em>Why wouldn’t he be getting laid?’ </em> and Danny’s mind helpfully provided visuals of the other man for him to ponder over. <br/><br/>Vlad was rich, successful and objectively hot. He really never saw him that way until recently. Months ago. A year ago. Okay, two years ago. <br/><br/>Sixteen had been eye opening for Danny. <br/><br/>Danny squeezed his eyes shut, desperately crawling out of that tangent thought and gripped the paper in his hand. He had to make some sense of these abbreviations and words and numbers. <br/><br/>“Ahh!” He growled in frustration. Danny took a big breath through his nose and slowly exhaled to calm himself. There was too much going on in his head to be able to focus on all of that jargon. He began picking up all of the papers to see if they could shed some light on any of it but quickly realized it was all the same page. He tossed them all save for one and took one last look at Vlad’s lab before changing and jumping through the portal. <br/><br/>Danny was exhausted but he hoped Sam and Tucker were awake and online, he would at least need Tucker to help decode whatever this was. <br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yo so I work in a pharmacy and with all this Covid19 business I'm doin hella overtime so if I get slow/make mistakes it's because I'm tired and lazy. Forgive me. (But still lemme know bc I can't have that shit.) I love writing this, and I adore the comments and support(So much) but I'm beat at the end of the day so updates may be far apart now. Maybe. We'll see.</p><p>Stay healthy babes. Love y'all freaks.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Duality</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad is sad. And conflicted.</p><p>Danny is confused and conflicted.</p><p>Cognitive dissonance ensues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p><br/>Vlad’s eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, fully awake. The sun was rising and the blue early morning light was infiltrating his home. He blinked, unaware of how he got to his room last night. He also noticed that he’d stripped to his silk boxers. Odd. He usually fell asleep in his clothes after that much alcohol. <br/><br/>This wasn’t his first rodeo. <br/><br/>He waited for the headache and nausea that usually accompanied his hangovers but found that he felt perfectly fine. He must have changed forms at some point during the night, his ghost core having burned any alcohol out of his system. He couldn’t remember very much after the fifth or sixth shot he’d poured himself but everything before that slowly began to creep back into memory. <br/><br/>Vlad recalled cooping himself up in his lab for the last three days at least as he ran tests and experiments to compare his and Daniel’s ectoplasm, along with reviewing his older research, or lore, from when he’d first become a half ghost. He’d desperately needed to gain more understanding of his predicament with the younger halfa, his little enemy. <br/><br/>That brat. </p><p>He’d been pouring over books and notes while running analysis on his and Daniel’s ectoplasm, comparing molecular makeup by breaking down the substance to the barest components in an effort to see exactly how compatible their samples were. He was almost afraid that it would be something akin to a perfect match. It made him extremely apprehensive about the entire situation to think that Daniel’s core had somehow acclimated to his own over time. After all, the boy’s ice powers came long after they met, if he wasn’t mistaken. <br/><br/>But Daniel was also around so many other ghosts, and it wasn’t even in any battle with Vlad himself that Daniel gained access to his icy core powers. He’d been fighting some bizarre plant ghost when it happened, strangely enough. <br/><br/>There was always the fact that he was the only other half ghost, and therefore could have been the easiest example for Daniel’s fledgling ghost core to mirror as it developed. <br/><br/>But if it just matured, and it perfectly matched, how did it happen so quickly, without-? <br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes had stopped scanning and widened mid paragraph in his studies when it hit him.<br/><br/>When Daniel bit him he’d mostly bit the boy back for a quick and equal vengeance, an eye for an eye as per his nature, but when his body was overcome with that sense of relief as he took from Daniel’s core, his desire to hurt the boy back evaporated into something else entirely. This was what he craved, he knew it as soon as it flowed over his forked tongue. It was almost perfect, like it was made to be consumed by him. Now he understood <em> why</em>. <br/><br/>Daniel bit him first. <br/><br/>That very first, weak little taste of Vlad’s ectoplasm was all Daniel’s core needed to take information from Vlad’s ghostly core and then fully form into the perfect ecto-biological counterpart, just in time for Vlad to bite the boy back. <br/><br/>It left a bitter taste in his mouth. <br/><br/>If Daniel hadn’t fed off of him first, would his ectoplasm not have been a perfect match? It was likely. <br/><br/>But they were half human, and a ghost’s core was more than just a substance or energy source. It was the manifestation of obsession, of human emotion, of pain and love and hate. There was so much more to him, to Daniel, than pink or green slime or molecular defaults. <br/><br/>For so long he’d thought of himself as some sort of ‘chosen one’, and then Daniel came along and suddenly he wasn’t alone in his glorious plight. The universe had carefully selected them to reign superior over all of the nobodies residing across the realms, he knew it. He was so much better than everyone else in this meaningless existence, and Daniel needed to be by his side, his student, his son, his… <br/><br/>Perfect parallel blood bag? <br/><br/>No, it had to be something more, Vlad was sure of it. He felt trapped between his two states of understanding- Science and Philosophy. <br/><br/>Foolishly, he’d turned to science to answer his mystical and philosophical questions. <br/><br/>Upon this new realization, if he was correct, he’d never be able to recreate a perfect substitute. How does one mix chemicals into obsession? If this came back a match, then Daniel had not only locked them in on a molecular level… This would affect their entire being. He couldn’t fathom what that meant for them. How in tune to Vlad’s emotions would Daniel be? Would he have influence over them? How deep could Daniel see into his soul, his past? His present? <br/><br/>It was too much. He’d spent all his life with his thoughts and emotions locked away from prying eyes, and what little he did show was what he <em> allowed </em> others to see or believe. This... It would leave him too vulnerable to even cope. He couldn’t stand the thought of being laid so bare to the likes of Danny Phantom. <br/><br/>The machine testing the samples finally beeped after fourteen hours.<br/><br/>When the analysis confirmed his first theory on the matter, that they were indeed the most biologically compatible to each other, a perfect match, for some reason he’d… well, he exploded. Vlad remembered absolutely trashing his lab, angrily shattering beakers and completely <em> destroying </em> a few of his machines. The monitor to his computer froze after the first swing, then his printer actually started spitting the result page back in his face- or that’s how it felt in his blind rage. He blasted the printer and scorched a few other parts of his lab, then decimating the ecto-ABG machine and turning his modified haematology analyzer to dust before abandoning his work to float up into his study to drink away the frustration consuming him. <br/><br/>Vlad phased his hand through a cabinet below his book collection and brought out his eighty year old whiskey and his old fashioned sipping glass, but there was no sipping. It was honestly a waste of such fine spirit but he didn’t want to even see straight, much less think straight. It wasn’t fair. He wanted a connection with someone so badly, for as long as he could remember, and now it was being forced on him in the worst, most unexpected way and it was <em> Daniel. </em> <br/><br/>And it all seemed so clinical. Pumping his body with Daniel’s ectoplasm couldn’t be as simple as pumping a car full of gasoline, right? Where was the connection? <em> Why else </em> did this start? Was there something more meaningful to this? The thought alarmed him but Vlad wasn’t an animal bound to his body, he was so much more. He was chosen. He had a poetic purpose. <br/><br/><em> Daniel does not dictate my life</em>. <br/><br/>That was the last sober thought he remembered from the night before. Vlad sighed and threw the blankets aside as he got out of bed. With a clear head he could see how ridiculous he’d behaved after the results came. There is no way to measure sorrow, ambition or destiny with any scientific means. Of course science would state the simple observational facts. <br/><br/>He realized that part of him was a bit upset that there was nothing more to it, that destiny or something else more divine had no part in his and Daniel’s fate. What did that disappointment mean? Did he want something else from Daniel? He didn’t want to think about that last night, and he certainly didn’t want to think of it now in the sober light of day.<br/><br/>But did he? His mind felt split in two. A small part of him was just glad he’d found the fuel his ghost had been needing. He’d been feeling the madness of his deepest obsessions grow and grow until he literally couldn’t take it anymore and tried to build a damn time machine! <br/><br/>And Daniel’s ectoplasm sated him so completely. The untapped rage that seemed to constantly eat at his subconscious ebbed away with each small gulp...<br/><br/>The other part of him… was more complicated. For normal, well-adjusted people perhaps it was simple, more obvious. <br/><br/>If he was finally supposed to have a true connection with another person he wanted it to be a conscious choice. Everything he did was calculated, perfectly planned and timed, and the fact that this situation befell them so suddenly was unacceptable. <br/><br/>But how else did such connections form?<br/><br/>Vlad wondered how Daniel felt about all of this. The young man despised him, he must be furious that they now must rely on one another to survive. Vlad couldn’t help but feel despondent at the thought. <br/><br/>He <em>wanted</em> to be understood. He knew everything about <em>so</em> many people and no one knew anything about him.<br/><br/>He’d briefly gotten his hopes last night thinking that maybe the test would say that there was no correlation to their biology at all, and they were pulled together by simply being two halves of a greater whole- but no. It was just an ecto-biological response that made them that way. He knew it before he read the results.<br/><br/>And Vlad still let his pathetic human emotions cling to that pointless hope that his core did perhaps reflect his very soul, and he and Daniel couldn’t help but reach out to each other, to the other half. <br/><br/>The Plasmius half of his consciousness gagged. Utterly pathetic.<br/><br/>Vlad pulled at his hair, desperately trying to figure out which thought <em>actually</em> reflected his stance on the situation. Which feeling was the truth?<br/><br/>Did he want this to be a simple exchange? Or did he want that bond, that connection with Daniel? <br/><br/><em>Which is it?!</em> <br/><br/>The recent instability of his core made his human and ghost half entirely too distinguishable for his mental health. <br/><br/>Perhaps a continuously sufficient ectoplasm supply would eventually mend his fractured psyche.</p><p>Vlad transformed into Plasmius and fell through the floor of his room, leaving those haunting evaluations on the ground level of his home and floating to a graceful stop upon entering his lab. He tensed as he discovered the room decently tidied. <br/><br/>Had he… gotten completely shitfaced and… cleaned up after himself? Doubtful. Nothing productive got done when he was that angry. Or intoxicated.<br/><br/>His eyes scanned the room suspiciously one last time before he made his ghostly way up to his home before heading towards the study where he remembered he had drank the night before. <br/><br/>Now <em> this </em> was what he had expected to see in his lab- Scorched holes and dents in the walls, books fallen from their shelves, glass all over the floor. Had his desk been set on fire? But this wasn’t... <br/><br/>Then he remembered. Daniel had been here. Daniel had come to see him for whatever reason last night and… Well they’d obviously fought, that much was clear. His little nemesis had seen him drunker than he’d been since after his accident with the proto-portal in college. <br/><br/>Good God, what had he said to the boy? Hopefully nothing personal, nothing of relevance. <br/><br/>The boy already thought him a freak for wanting him as a pupil, he couldn’t imagine drunkenly sharing his musings about them being destined to rule the worlds together or something… Oh <em> butter biscuits</em>. <br/><br/>He ran a hand over his exhausted face and groaned loudly. How undignified. <br/><br/>Vlad pushed it from his mind, choosing to block all of this out for now before turning heel and heading to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. </p><p>Well, he figured if the boy was going to be hanging around more now that they may as well get to know each other better, and it wasn’t as if Daniel hadn’t heard his world domination plans before. A humorless laugh escaped him as he started up his cappuccino machine. <br/><br/>But who was to say that Daniel would even want to hang around? He’d have to stay close by if he wanted to stay alive and strong, if he didn’t want to go tearing apart his ghost friends and enemies alike, but that didn’t promise that he’d ever stop hating Vlad. It didn’t mean that Vlad would have a companion.</p><p>Maybe even after all of this he was truly meant to be alone in every sense. If the universe really had a hand in his life then it was probably just enforcing his isolation and reminding him that none of this mattered and no one was special. He may be chosen, but it has never spared him any of his suffering. <br/><br/>If he thought about it, he and Daniel were actually <em> quite </em> different. The boy had his trusty friends, his protective and all knowing sister, his ignorant but well-meaning parents. Vlad never had any of that. Perhaps he was never meant to. <br/><br/>His eyes stayed lost in his coffee until steam no longer rose from the cup and he gulped it down without tasting it. How much time had passed?</p><p>When he was finally caffeinated he made his way up to the study to clean up the mess and get some work done, having much to catch up on after leaving his companies to their respective chairmen. Perhaps once he was caught up he could do more reading and research on Ghost cores and find some way to beat this hand he’d been dealt.<br/><br/>He could do this. He could figure out how to maneuver through life with this new thorn in his side and win in the end like he always wanted. He was Vlad Masters. Vlad Plasmius! <br/><br/>Vlad held his head, reeling a bit from the emotional whiplash. Wasn’t he just wallowing in utter despair? Nevermind, he had work to do. <br/><br/>He probably wouldn’t see Daniel for some time after that little scuffle last night.<br/><br/>That was fine, Vlad needed the time to think. <br/><br/>- <br/><br/>Danny slammed his locker shut distractedly, walking to class with his eyes glued to the ground in thought. He couldn’t get the night before out of his head. <br/><br/>Vlad was… a complete mess. Danny couldn’t help feeling bad for him, and he was even… <br/><br/>Worried? <br/><br/>He definitely didn’t want to be, but it was just his nature to care about people. Even shitty people. <br/><br/>He still didn’t understand what had set the man off last night, even after deciphering the print out he stole from the lab. This morning, since he’d already been logged off and asleep when Danny got home last night, Tucker said it looked kind of like a ghostly blood-test, and Danny agreed, sharing his initial Ghost STD conclusion for a laugh. Based on the layout and the fact that there were two samples they’d assumed it was his and Vlad’s ectoplasm analysis. There were a few terms they had to look up, and a few others that went over their heads completely, but they were pretty sure. <br/><br/>Tucker had joked that it was a positive paternity test and Danny went completely white before Sam smacked Tuck upside his head and reassured Danny that it definitely <em> was not </em> . <br/><br/>But that was just it, the results did appear… positive? If they were reading the data correctly then the sheet claimed that the samples were perfectly compatible. Maybe there was something else that they missed? Whatever it was, it had made his nemesis snap and destroy what had to be millions in lab equipment- <em> his own </em> lab equipment. So naturally, Danny was dying to know what the big deal was. <br/><br/>All of this ghost puberty stuff freaked him the hell out, but if there was even <em> more </em> to it then Danny figured he should be just as knowledgeable and aware of the situation as the other halfa seemed to be.</p><p>Vlad had seemed quite put out by all of it, but that only annoyed Danny more. It wasn’t like this was a walk in the park for him either. He didn’t want to have to <em>drink</em> his enemy’s <em>blood</em> for ghost’s sake! He definitely didn’t want the hunger pains or the weird Vlad-radar or <em>any of it!</em> <br/><br/>Being a half ghost in high school was hard enough.<br/><br/>Danny huffed. He supposed these same reasons were also why Vlad had become frustrated. The only difference was that Danny was not nearly as volatile and destructive in his pouting. <br/><br/>That’s all it was, right? Vlad was just being a baby about being inconvenienced. Danny was going to be around him more, so he couldn’t go about his regularly scheduled evil plots and he was throwing an absolute tantrum about it all.<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes as he stepped into class and took his seat. And Vlad called <em>him</em> a brat…</p><p>Vlad really didn’t make sense to him sometimes. The man was mature and refined, but then he could behave like a toddler. He was so smart and calculated, but Danny had foiled him too many times to count. He couldn’t wrap his head around how Vlad could be capable of focusing all of his attention onto any singular thing for such a long time, and yet still let his personal hang ups ruin everything for him in the end. <br/><br/>Mr. Lancer started class by having them open their books to some Greek story they were starting but Danny hadn’t caught the name, only half paying attention. Some tragedy or another, he was sure. He simply opened the book to the page he was instructed to, then he zoned out again. <br/><br/>Danny thought back to their early days, all of the banter and baiting they used to engage in. Vlad was much harder on him back then, so much so that Danny was often horrified when he thought about it from any other perspective. A full grown adult man regularly flinging a fourteen year old boy around like a rag-doll. Vlad beat him unconscious the very first time they met as ghosts. <br/><br/>No mercy. <br/><br/>Danny shook his head at the memory, recalling the awe he felt at the older ghost’s display of power. Honestly, Clockwork had been right when he said if Vlad wanted him dead he would be. A long time ago. It would have been almost too easy for Vlad to have taken him out way back then. <br/><br/>But he didn’t. <br/><br/>Danny being the son of Jack and Maddie Fenton, Vlad’s college best friend and the love of his life respectively, had complicated things quite a lot for Vlad. The thought that it was just that and the fact that Danny was, in his eyes, the only other halfa made his teeth gnash. <br/><br/>That wasn’t the case now, however. Danny had trained long and hard and he was no kid anymore. He could keep up with Vlad any day of the week, hell, he even wiped the floor with the man a few times. Vlad’s anger still frightened him to a degree sometimes, the night before being a good example, but he was no longer afraid as he admittedly had been in the very beginning. <br/><br/>Last night definitely shook that confidence though. Even then Vlad still didn’t scare him as badly as their alternate fate did. <br/><br/>Danny pushed that thought away with some effort. He didn’t want to think about Dan... <br/><br/>Instead he thought about all of the things him and Vlad said to each other back in the day. He remembered how hard he’d laughed when he found out Vlad had taken his ‘advice’ and gotten a cat. All those things he’d said to Vlad about being a sad, lonely old man had finally gotten to him it seemed. <br/><br/>Danny frowned. Now he kind of felt bad, but only because of last night. Well, and because Danny himself had grown since then and realized just how sad and lonely Vlad truly was. When he was younger it had seemed pathetic, but also funny. Now it just bummed him out when he thought about how Vlad had literally no one and Danny had made fun of him for it. <br/><br/>Then again the man <em> did </em> try to steal his mom and murder his dad, but he’d failed so many times that Danny wondered if he ever really tried. He <em> knew </em> how powerful Vlad was, and if that man truly wanted someone dead then Danny was sure they’d be six feet in the dirt. Sure, he might have a hard time busting into their ghost-proofed home as Plasmius without things getting sticky, but what was stopping Vlad from hiring a hitman to take out Danny’s dad? Jack Fenton was gullible too, Vlad could lure him somewhere by himself and take him out. He had enough money to make it look like an accident, then enough left over to pay ‘witnesses’ to recount the whole thing. <br/><br/>The point is that Plasmius had plenty of options, but none of them had been explored it seemed. <br/><br/>“... don't you think, Mr. Fenton?” <br/><br/>Danny blinked back into the room to see Mr. Lancer looking at him expectantly, and everyone else in class was turning to follow his lead. All of the eyes on him made Danny’s palms feel sweaty and he immediately sought out Tucker across the room. The boy frantically mouthed to him from behind his book. <br/><br/>Danny read his lips to the best of his ability, “Oedipus!” he blurted, and Tucker slammed his palm to his forehead, laughing.<br/><br/>His teacher was less impressed. “We’re reading Antigone, Mr. Fenton, but you do have some very interesting taste there…” The class erupted into snickering and Danny sunk low into his desk as Lancer charitably moved on. <br/><br/>He glanced at Tucker again to find his friend’s brown lips still stretched into a smile, but his eyes were back to following along with the class. Danny sighed, his thoughts consumed by bigger problems. <br/><br/>Now that he thought about it, it had been at least a year since Vlad had even visited his parents. Weren’t they his ghostly obsession? The two subjects he never stopped thinking about since his transition from human to halfa? Ghosts never just ‘got over’ their obsessions, right? <br/><br/>It made him wonder what his own obsession was. <br/><br/>As if in search of what he’d been thinking upon the accident his mind suddenly brought him back to when he was being electrocuted all over and he immediately tried to think of something else, anything else. <br/><br/>Vlad’s shoulders popped into his head. <br/><br/>He clenched his eyes shut. Thinking about the accident was still quite painful, but he didn’t exactly want to think of Vlad's body in class either. He shuddered and Dash side-eyed him like he was a lunatic but Danny didn’t really care. <br/><br/>The stray thought had brought him out of that awful memory but now his thoughts were on Vlad again. How were any of them alive, besides his mom, if they were Vlad’s enemies? <br/><br/>The only answer was that they weren’t his enemies. Vlad played stupid pranks on him and his friends when he wasn’t being a two-faced criminal, and Danny did his best to keep the man in line. That was it. That was the extent of their relationship the past few years. They weren’t actively chasing opposing goals, they weren’t trying to kill each other, so they couldn’t exactly be enemies. <br/><br/>But it still felt that way. You could have an enemy and not want them dead, right? Danny didn’t have anyone he wanted dead, really. Maybe his future self, but it was more like he didn’t want Dan to ever be born in the first place. And even that was still a maybe for him. <br/><br/>His relationship with Vlad was far too complicated to label with one word, other than the word complicated itself. Their enemy status was really evolving into something else now that Danny was a feeder like Vlad. How were they going to work this out? They would need to be around one another a lot more since they required the other’s ectoplasm. He wished his core could have just stayed young and overflowing forever, but he supposed nobody liked getting older. This must be what debt and taxes feel like. <br/><br/>Well, he didn’t necessarily <em>owe</em> Vlad his plasma like that, or the other way around, but if they wanted to stave off that hunger then their hands were forced. Danny tried to think of some way he could benefit from this. <br/><br/>Could he use this predicament to make Vlad behave? As in, not mess with Amity Park or the Ghost Zone or not enslave or take over the world? Yeah, this could be good. He could help people by keeping Plasmius under control. <br/><br/>Danny allowed a small triumphant smile to settle onto his face. Good. He found a bright side. Maybe over time Vlad would just chill out with all of the evil schemes and get a new hobby or something. <br/><br/>That sounded a little too optimistic, even to him, but it was better to think positively when you wanted something to go a certain way according to Jazz. <br/><br/>One could never know, maybe Danny will rub off on Vlad the way Jazz had rubbed off on him. <br/><br/>He thought back to lying limply in Vlad’s arms, pressed up against him as the man licked and bit at his neck and he jerked upright in his seat. Maybe Vlad ‘rubbing off’ on him had been a weird way to put it. Danny hadn’t thought of anyone in <em> that </em> way since his last stint with Valerie after she figured out his identity, and it had been a couple years, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten what a crush felt like. <br/><br/>And this felt very much like a crush. <br/><br/>Danny put his face in his hands tiredly. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed himself stealing glances at Vlad the past few years, it just wasn’t something he liked actively thinking about. It was weird, if not extremely inappropriate. He didn’t really feel like a freak about the age thing really, lots of people liked older guys, and like he’d admitted to himself, and only himself, Vlad was objectively hot. <br/><br/>No, he felt like a freak for liking <em> Vlad</em>. His not-enemy. His parent’s old best friend. The richest asshole in Amity Park. <em> Plasmius </em>.</p><p>He liked Vlad <em> Plasmius. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em>No, not like. This was a crush. It was different.</p><p>There’s no way he could actually be interested in someone so heartbreakingly sad and angry.<br/><br/><em> Maybe if he had someone though- </em> Danny stamped the thought out like a freshly lit match. No way. Not entertaining that. <br/><br/>He just had to make sure Vlad was fed and under control, and in turn Danny would be able to feed and keep an eye on his… okay, they were still enemies. <em> Arch enemy</em>. Yes, that sounded perfect, <em> let’s just keep that the way it is. </em></p><p>There wasn’t a word for guy-who-is-a-half-ghost-like-me-but-is-a-dick-with-totally-different-world-views-but-now-we-have-to-keep-each-other-alive-and-he’s-an-attractive-dude-but-he’s-totally-fucked-up-and-kind-of-evil-...<br/><br/>Complicated didn’t really come that close either now that he thought about it. <br/><br/>Good God...</p><p>The bell rang, benevolently freeing him from that tangent. He robotically closed his book and stuffed it into his bag, knowing he would need it tonight since he had no idea what they’d just gone over in class. Danny paused, face blank as he arrived at Tucker’s desk to wait for him.<br/><br/>He’d just spent the last solid seventy-five minutes thinking about Vlad fucking Masters. <br/><br/>“Dude,” Tucker started, already chuckling again. “You really gotta start at least half paying attention, you know he’s gonna call on you.” <br/><br/>Danny shrunk a bit, “Ha, yeah… I was pretty distracted I guess.” With <em> Vlad</em>. <br/><br/>Tucker raised one of his thick brows in suspicion, “Everything alright? I know it’s gotta be weird to… have to do <em> that </em> now.I’m sure with it being Vlad it’s probably… unpleasant.” Danny appreciated Tucker trying to be discreet with his wording, they were in school after all, but the way he said it only made Danny’s face even redder, especially with his recent thoughts. He frantically looked around to see if anyone was close enough to overhear but they were the last to leave the classroom and Lancer was already at his desk.<br/><br/>“Tuck!” He said in exasperation at his friend. <br/><br/>Said friend shrugged his backpack on, “What? Nobody’s here.” Even so, they walked through the halls on they’re way outside in silence for a while until they were out in the parking lot before Danny finally spoke. <br/><br/>“I dunno, man. It is pretty weird. Maybe Vlad’s right, I should at least try to feed from a regular ghost. I mean, the test tube didn’t work, but maybe… No, it would just be the same!” He rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He hadn’t exactly gotten a whole lot of sleep after coming back from Vlad’s mansion. <br/><br/>“Hey, man, you’ll be okay.” Tucker dropped a hand onto Danny’s shoulder, “We’ll figure this ecto-vampire thing out. It will go twice as fast if Vlad stays civil.” Danny cringed. He’d told Tucker he’d nabbed the results when Vlad wasn’t looking. It hadn’t been a complete lie, but he neglected to tell his friend about Vlad’s giant blow-up. He just didn’t want his friends to worry. After all, he handled everything just fine last night. <br/><br/>Well, Clockwork <em> did </em> have to save him… <br/><br/>Maybe he should tell them? <br/><br/>Tucker dropped his hand and gave a thumbs up before pocketing it, walking a few more feet in silence before his curious apparently got the better of him. “You gotta tell me and Sam what it’s like, though. I can’t imagine feeding from another person, much less my nemesis. I’m sure Sam can, goths love vampire stuff- OW!” <br/><br/>Tucker pitched forward as Sam flung her small backpack against his back. “You are so insensitive, he’s obviously stressed! Can’t you read a room?” <br/><br/>Tucker jerked to glare daggers behind him at the girl. “What room?! We’re outside you wench!” <br/><br/>She raised her bag threateningly and he shrunk. Danny watched the scene with a smile, but Sam was sad to note that it wasn’t as bright as usual. “Hey, Danny,” His icy blue eyes floated up to meet hers curiously. “You know what would cheer you up?” <br/><br/>He raised a brow but waited for her to continue. <br/><br/>“Training.” <br/><br/>Tucker groaned. <br/><br/>Sam cracked her knuckles. <br/><br/>Danny smiled a bit brighter.<br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Developments</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Awkward confusing feelings aren't Danny's only new discovery.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/>“I swear, I’m so close to getting this right!”<br/><br/>Tucker looked at his watch, “Can’t you just record yourself on your phone or something? I need my beauty sleep.”<br/><br/>“We <em>have</em> been out here for a few hours, Danny.” Sam at least looked like she felt bad.<br/><br/>They’d been helping Danny train all afternoon and evening in the Ghost Zone and it would still be a long walk home so late at night. They didn’t have school tomorrow, but Danny was sure they were tired of listening to him parody the voices of his friends and family so badly.<br/><br/>Every once in a while when practicing his ghostly skills he returned to his cousin Dani’s awesome ability to perfectly mimic another person’s voice. He always thought it would come in handy when he needed to get out of school or any other thing he didn’t want to go to, but every time he tried he failed miserably. It just sounded like he was making fun of whoever he tried to imitate, in his own strained voice. That or his voice just cracked embarrassingly.<br/><br/>He figured since his core was changing he might gain access to different parts of it, like he'd grown into the feeder part, except he was looking for new powers to unlock.<br/><br/>No such luck.<br/><br/>His shoulders sagged, “Yeah, my throat hurts anyway…”<br/><br/>“That’s because you were trying to imitate Vlad’s voice for so long.” Sam said flatly.<br/><br/>“Quite poorly.” Tucker added, wincing in secondhand embarrassment.<br/><br/>Danny cringed, “It felt just as weird as it sounded, trust me.” Calling himself ‘Daniel’ over and over again had not made the impression any more believable. He grabbed their hands and flew toward the portal to his house, trying to figure out where he kept going wrong. </p><p>Most of his powers were based on his emotions, at least at first, until he got better control of them over time and practice. He didn’t know how to incorporate emotion into copying someone. Maybe he’d have to reach out to Dani and ask for help? She wasn’t super far since she lived with the Greys now, but he didn’t want to have to talk to her about the whole feeder thing yet. He’d have to eventually. After all, she could very well be a feeder like Vlad, or she would turn into one when she became mature like Danny.<br/><br/>Perhaps they should have let her feed all those years ago when she was unstable. They’d figured it out in the end, but maybe being a feeder would be really good for her?<br/><br/>“Whatcha thinkin’ about, buddy?”<br/><br/>Danny blinked, looking around to find them standing there in his parent’s lab. He hadn’t realized they had arrived. Sam and Tucker were staring at him with concern and he shook his head.<br/><br/>“Just thinking about Dani. Maybe she could give me some hint or tell me how to do it?”<br/><br/>Sam gave him a smirk, “That would probably be more helpful than just trying the same thing over and over again.” And she meant it jokingly but Danny still felt bad.<br/><br/>“Ha, sorry I made you guys sit through that again…” He croaked. His hand flew to his neck and he swallowed experimentally. He really did hurt his throat. For some reason this was even harder on it than the ghostly wail.<br/><br/>Sam and Tucker paused at the door, “It’s cool, Dude.” Tucker said reassuringly, “I’m sure Dani will tell you the trick to it and you’ll be prank calling Dash in no time.”<br/><br/>That actually made Danny smile again and he gratefully wrapped an arm around Tuck’s shoulders, his other snaking around Sam as he hugged them goodbye.</p><p>He went up to his room to gather some clean clothes and a towel and headed to the bathroom for a shower. It wasn’t like he got sweaty in his ghost form, but he still liked feeling clean at the end of the day. Danny set his clean clothes by the sink and stripped, tossing his worn ones in the hamper and starting the shower.<br/><br/>Danny stared at himself in the mirror while he let the water heat up. He’d grown much taller, though he didn’t think he’d inherit his father’s height, and he put on quite a bit of muscle over the past few years with all of the physical activity. Still, he’d been a bit confused when Vlad told him that he’d ‘matured’. Did that mean he was done growing? He had been hoping for another few inches in height, and he assumed he would have had a broader build after meeting his future self.<br/><br/>Then again, his future self was also half Vlad.<br/><br/>Vlad had really broad shoulders.<br/><br/>Danny had the immense displeasure of witnessing exactly how red his face got when he was embarrassed, and his hands slapped to his cheeks to hide the blush. Danny quickly hopped into the shower and away from the mirror.</p><p>He mechanically began washing, eyes wide as he tried to push these thoughts out like he did with thoughts of his alternate future- Shit, now he was thinking about that. Danny slammed his eyes shut and began aggressively shampooing his hair.<br/><br/>Why was he so hung up on Vlad today? Sure, it happened off and on any way, they were enemies for years, but today was particularly obsessive. He hadn’t even been able to train without Vlad coming up into his head, not to mention how long he’d spent on attempting to mimic the other halfa earlier.<br/><br/>God, that was embarrassing.</p><p>Vlad’s voice was just so smooth and refined, and he always sounded so smart, even when he was saying some straight up bitchy, <em> crazy </em> things. It was especially nice when Vlad was saying his name…<br/><br/>No one called him Daniel, not unless he was in trouble with his parents. For the first two years he felt like a small child when Vlad called him that, but as previously stated, sixteen had been quite the awakening. One wet dream and suddenly he melted a little every time Vlad addressed him.<br/><br/>He just didn’t think it would go on this long. Or get this bad.<br/><br/>His core was just messing with his head. It was hungry for some Plasmius energy and it was making him think all of these weird things about his not-enemy. A couple years ago he was just realizing he was bisexual, so it made total sense that he would develop a crush on his nemesis, right?<br/><br/>Danny desperately clung to the excuses for a few more minutes before groaning in defeat.  His hands held him up as he leaned against the shower wall and let the water cascade over his head and face dramatically. He was such a freak. Why couldn’t he stop these thoughts?<br/><br/>Did he really care that much? No, he just needed to feed or something. That had to be it.<br/><br/>His fingers pressed harder against the tile as he thought of going to Vlad’s en suite so they wouldn’t make a mess as the man held him close and sucked at his neck. Danny shuddered, quickly bending down and turning the knob to cold. That helped a little.<br/><br/>He turned off the shower and stepped out to dry himself off. He kept his eyes away from the mirror as he dressed.<br/><br/>Perhaps he needed to feed more than he thought? His core wasn’t throbbing with pain, and that was the only indication he’d experienced before, so he wasn’t in dire straits, and Vlad hadn’t reached out in his own hunger. Although, he couldn’t imagine Vlad admitting that he needed something from him.<br/><br/>His mind abruptly supplied a not so tasteful image of Vlad on his knees, begging, and Danny’s face burned with the sudden heat.<br/><br/>Okay, so maybe he <em> could </em>imagine that.<br/><br/>“<em>Fuck." </em>He breathed, and he surprised himself by sounding so perverted. He had it bad...<br/><br/>He threw the towel over his head and walked out into the hallway. Maybe if he held the towel over his face he would suffocate.<br/><br/>“What are you doing, goofy boy?” Danny jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice and pulled the towel from over his eyes. How long had she been standing there? Had she heard him?<br/><br/>“Nothin’. Drying my hair. When did you guys get back?” He asked nervously.<br/><br/>She squinted suspiciously at his tone but shrugged, “Just a few minutes ago. Any ghosts bother you while we were gone?”<br/><br/>Danny pursed his lips, “Nope, no ghosts here. I’m gonna go say hi to Dad.” and he walked to the stairs as casually as he could with his mother’s eyes on him.<br/><br/>Well, that should get his mind off of Vlad.<br/><br/>“Danny boy! Look who’s on TV!”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes drifted from his dad’s outstretched arm to the screen he presented proudly. There was Vlad Masters and his stupid suit with his stupid shoulders. Of Course.<br/><br/>He was reportedly seen walking out of a building after some important business meeting and a few reporters caught him and his associates outside. Danny watched on as Vlad graciously dealt with an impromptu press-conference. It was small but the questions were very direct and asked that he address his recent absence.<br/><br/>Danny finished his descent into the living room and paused at the last step of the stairs. He seriously couldn’t escape the man today and it was beginning to make him suspicious. Danny glanced around briefly, wondering if Vlad put cameras in his home again. Unlikely. Besides, it wasn’t as if stalking Danny would give Vlad the power to take over his mind.<br/><br/>He walked over and stood beside his dad with his arms folded, glaring at the TV.<br/><br/>“Poor Vladdy,” Jack pouted, “Apparently he’s been taking time off because he’s been sick! That’s probably why we haven’t heard from him. I’m gonna go give him a call now!”<br/><br/>“I’m sure he would love that, Dad.” His father beamed down at him, his giant arm picking Danny up off the ground in a crippling side-hug before he went to call his old buddy.</p><p>Danny’s eyes stayed on the screen even as it went black.<br/><br/>He turned and stomped upstairs to his room, trying to tune out his father’s impossibly-more-boisterous phone voice. His dad was talking to <em> Vlad</em>. <br/><em><br/>Vlad Masters </em> picked up a random call from Jack Fenton. It was like ten o’clock.<br/><br/>There was no reason for Vlad to do that.<br/><br/>At least none other than himself.<br/><br/>Had Vlad picked up thinking it was Danny calling from the house phone?<br/><br/>Danny belly-flopped into bed, smothering himself in his pillow. Why did he care?<br/><br/>Last night was messing him up. He used to think seeing Vlad in utter suffering would be more satisfying. Maybe even funny. The ever controlled and composed Plasmius, suddenly dead in the eyes and soul after finally facing reality and coming to realize that he was such a fucking weasel that no one would ever love him. Smugness should have overtaking Danny at the thought.<br/><br/>Instead it felt more like pity, which he knew Vlad would absolutely hate.<br/><br/>The empty look in the older halfa’s eyes that night left the impression that he’d been aware of that ‘reality’ for quite some time.<br/><br/>Danny curled until he lay on his side, bringing his knees up and cocooning himself in his blankets. It made some sense that his world was being rocked by seeing another one of Vlad’s many masks slip. He’d finally seen a bit of what was under all of those layers, Vlad was a complex human being with a bad penchant for emotional reasoning and Danny wanted to deeply hate him like he had when he was fourteen but he’d already seen too much.<br/><br/>And now he kind of wanted to know some more. He kept flashing back to previous encounters over time. Danny thought of himself as a pretty empathetic person, it had gotten him into trouble on many more than one occasion. It made him easy to fool or manipulate for his enemies, Vlad included, but he didn’t think last night’s outburst was about deceiving him.<br/><br/>Vlad wouldn’t have lashed out if he didn’t feel cornered. Vulnerable.</p><p>Danny figured the older halfa had to have gone through a lot these past few months, at least mentally, and his heart dropped a bit. He really wished he was less soft.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Toxic green eyes fluttered open to a dark room only illuminated by floating portal-like screens. Danny blinked rapidly as he looked around, stopping the neon glow from his own eyes with each blink. Each screen played certain experiences and thoughts, even fantasies, that he’d had or entertained over the span of his life. <br/><br/>He noticed the vast majority present were from his ghostly years. One or two seemed to be very painful older memories of feeling unwanted by his parents who had the brilliant Jazz to dote on. Another was of a power outage where his mom and dad had no other choice but to pause their work, and they had gone outside and made smores over the grill together.<br/><br/>One slightly larger, brighter screen floating low was angled up like it was looking at him. He couldn’t tell what was happening from far away with all the flashing at first so he stepped closer, squinting.<br/><br/>He jerked away when he heard his own blood-curdling scream and the high-voltage buzz of electricity.<br/><br/><em> Help me! </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> He shuddered as he briskly walked away, the screen only following a few paces before falling back. He didn’t stop, pushing his speed to a near jog. More screens came and went, floating lazily. How big is this room? <br/><br/>Suddenly it all shifted. Danny’s eyes squinted past the glow of the screens to focus on the blackness of the new space.<br/><br/>Little specks of light glittered across the distant darkness, reminding Danny of galaxies.<br/><br/>He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn’t figure out what this was supposed to be. He looked to another screen. It was showing when he first met Vlad as Plasmius and Danny pulled his eyes away when he remembered that even then he’d admired Vlad’s build in some way.<br/><br/><em> Holy… Freaking ripped. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em>He cringed at his younger self. The physique obviously wasn’t just for show considering the ass-whooping he'd received shortly after that thought. Danny continued walking and was beginning to notice a trend among the screens. Fights with Vlad. Talking with Vlad. When he got too immersed in one of the reveries he could hear the man’s velvety voice like Vlad was right there in his ear. He shuddered for a different reason this time.</p><p>Danny gazed at the memory of laying limp in Vlad’s arm as he was fed from. It hurt, the ostentatiously large fangs weren’t at all gentle. Part of him had been hoping for pleasure like in one of Sam’s ‘secret’ vampire romance novels. Good lord, he couldn’t imagine how obsessed he’d be with Vlad if something like<em> that </em> had been his first experience.<br/><br/>The scary body-high of having your core drained was still really interesting though.<br/><br/>Seeing himself being held by Vlad from an outside point of view made it look… Danny blushed fiercely and averted his eyes, trying to find a screen without Vlad. Was this, like, a whole section for him?<br/><br/>Maybe this crush went a little further back? He buried his face in his hands, his fingers splayed over his eyes as he stared through them.<br/><br/>As he was wallowing in his mortification he spied a screen far off, smaller and dimmer than the rest with a large crack at the edge. It flickered and glitched sporadically, the flashing being what caught his attention. Against his better judgement he began making his way toward it.<br/><br/>Danny’s gloved hands remained over his face as the screen got closer, bigger. For some reason he was afraid to remove them in favor of peeking from behind the fingers. The sound of wind howling started so quietly that he hadn’t noticed it at first, but now it was an eerily familiar, low whistling sound that made his core vibrate with dread.<br/><br/>All he could see on the screen through his fingers were frightening teeth. Large fangs, but in a terrifying smile that looked evil even without the influence of the sadistic red eyes that came into view once his hands began to feel limp and fall from his face of their own accord.<br/><br/>The ashen, aqua blue skin and white flame hair took a familiar shape and Danny was face to face with a very smug looking Dan.<br/><br/>He shot an ectoblast at the face on the screen, effectively destroying it. The hovering screen went dull and fell to the ground, smoking.<br/><br/>“You’re going to have to face that part one day, too.”<br/><br/>Danny jumped and turned to look behind him but found no one there. He knew that voice…<br/><br/>The starry sky beyond the screens bled to black as scattered orbs of light crept to the center of the room and formed none other than Nocturn.<br/><br/>“Uh, sure Nocturn, I <em> guess </em> I don’t mind you feeding on my dreams. Thanks for asking.” Danny folded his arms, trying to look put out.<br/><br/>The larger ghost was not impressed. “You weren’t complaining when you were lost in your Vlad Plasmius reveries.”<br/><br/>Danny’s mouth fell open, shocked that Nocturn would call him out so savagely. “That was <em> private! </em> ”<br/><br/>Nocturn smirk, his ghostly fangs peeking from his dead purple lips. “We are in your subconscious, Danny Fenton, nothing is private here.” Nocturn’s amused expression grew, “And I’ve explored pretty thoroughly.”<br/><br/>Danny felt like his face was so hot that he might melt into a puddle. He swallowed uncomfortably and glanced about the room with a new understanding.<br/><br/>“What’s with all the screens?” He asked awkwardly, trying desperately not to think about the embarrassing or sexual content that Nocturn had inevitably stumbled upon in his travels through Danny’s mind.<br/><br/>The distraction seemed effective enough, that or the dark ghost simply didn’t care, and he averted his attention to the strange environment. Strange, but not unfamiliar to either of them.<br/><br/>“Yes,” Nocturn’s voice was a smooth rumble, “It seems your mind has organized your subconscious to resemble Clockwork’s looking glasses. These displays, however, appear to mimic your computer screens. Some personalization to simulate familiarity and comfort. Asking you to manifest your entire subconscious was a hefty demand, but you surprised me with your ingenuity. Quite a clever copycat you are, Danny Phantom.”<br/><br/>Danny looked up at Nocturn, stunned. “I… made all this?”<br/><br/>Nocturn hummed affirmatively. “People organize their thoughts and experiences differently, some in a particular order, some organized by the elicited emotion of the moment, all very unique to the individual human.”<br/><br/>“Human…” Danny repeated, the word sticking out to him and echoing in his head.<br/><br/>“Yes, human.” Nocturn nodded, looking down to watch the half ghost child, fully aware of the rainstorm currently brewing in the young man’s mind.<br/><br/>“Ghosts do not dream.” He continued, “Their subconscious is frozen upon death, in most cases, and it becomes the core of who they are and how they think and behave. They will not grow, they will not sleep, there is no need to dream when every little hidden-away thought is pushed to the forefront of your being. This is why ghosts seem hyper-focused, there are no underlying distractions to pull them from what they desire in that moment, though the objective stays fixed within the realm of their personal obsession.”<br/><br/>Danny glanced from screen to screen as the ghost spoke, landing on his night-sky form when he fell silent. His eyes trailed up to see Nocturn staring at a screen showing Vlad. It was from their fight the night before. The expression on the ghost’s face made Danny wonder if Nocturn felt that pain like he had. Nocturn spent his time fully immersed in the subconscious of various and multiple humans at any given time. Did he feel what they felt in their nightmares? Did it have any effect on him at all?<br/><br/>Did he feed on it?<br/><br/>The red eyes suddenly flashed and made contact with his green ones. “You, however, are a ghost that dreams. Your obsessions shift like the leaves throughout the earthly seasons. You grow and change, yet you obsess and fixate like no mortal I’ve ever observed. You’re alive and dead at all times.” Danny backed away as the dark ghost leaned down. “You and Vlad Plasmius are creatures that intrigue me so.”<br/><br/>Slowly, too slow for Danny, the ghost leaned away, straightening back up to his towering height and walking into the dark path that manifested with each of his imperceivable footsteps.<br/><br/>Danny was hesitant but followed Nocturn’s looming shadow in the end. Could one get lost in their own subconscious? He didn’t want to find out.<br/><br/>Especially if there were any more screens showing <em> Dan</em>.</p><p>“So,” Danny started, “If Vlad’s obsession is my mom and dad, what’s mine?” He sped his pace until he caught up enough to peer up at Nocturn’s face. Odd, he couldn’t fly in his dream…<br/><br/>Nocturn regarded him silently before summoning a screen much like Clockwork would do to show Danny a timeline. It was when he stepped into the portal.<br/><br/><em> Someone please save me! Help me! </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> His own sobbing plea echoed in his ears and he clenched his eyes shut and slapped his hands over his ears. It was hard to force thoughts out of your mind when you were technically <em> in </em> your mind.<br/><br/>The screams and electric surges stopped and he opened his eyes to see only Nocturn, observing him with what looked to be pity.<br/><br/>Okay, maybe he and Vlad had something in common. He <em> hated </em> that look.<br/><br/>“One could say that your obsession with heroism came from the overwhelming desire to be rescued from your suffering upon your ‘death’. You are as obsessed with being a savior as Vlad is obsessed with being loved.”<br/><br/>Danny’s jaw dropped. His own obsession made sense after hearing it all laid out for him, but he always imagined Vlad’s obsession to be hate or revenge. Then again, killing the guy who stole your chance at love lined up with that pretty well.<br/><br/>“That’s some twisted ‘love’ Vlad’s got there…”<br/><br/>Nocturn hummed, not at all disturbed by the darker parts of humanity. “Most obsessions are very twisted, as you say.” The screen appeared on his other side and showed when Danny had gone back in time and met them when they were all still friends. “His two closest relationships pairing off and leaving him to face his fate in a hospital bed alone has corrupted how he interprets life, and his subconscious is a place that even I do not wish to stay for extended periods of time, however fascinating it is.” Vlad’s aged, hardened face took over the screen before it disappeared.<br/><br/>Danny didn’t want to understand Vlad’s reasons for being a murderous home-wrecker, not when it made his parents look partly at fault, but he did and it frustrated him to no end. Vlad didn’t deserve understanding.<br/><br/>“Everyone deserves some form of understanding, but not everyone deserves forgiveness.”<br/><br/>He glared up at the dark ghost, “I want you to know how creepy you are for reading my mind while in my mind.”<br/><br/>“I do know, but calling a ghost creepy is much like calling a kettle black; it just is.”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, fair point. So was his earlier sentiment. Just because he could understand Vlad didn’t mean he’d extended his forgiveness to Vlad’s previous actions. That realization made his crush on the man feel a little less like self-betrayal.<br/><br/>It was definitely still weird though. Danny was about to say something snarky when he caught Nocturn staring at the screen that still played Vlad feeding on Danny’s lax form. The words died on his lips.<br/><br/>“I find it odd,” Nocturn peered down at him, “That neither of you utilize the ghostly venom that most ecto-feeders do. It would satisfy your core to a much greater degree.”<br/><br/>Danny’s face scrunched up, “Venom? Like… a snake?”<br/><br/>Nocturn tilted his horned head not unlike an owl, “You were unaware of this element.” He stated more than asked. “Small glands should have developed just below your new fangs, ghost child. There is still much Plasmius must teach you. Think of the venom as a stimulant to your banquet’s core, a component of activation in a sense... The both of you will fare much better once the needs of your ghostly halves are sufficiently met.”<br/><br/>His gloved hands wove into his white hair, fingers scratching as he looked up at the dark towering ghost in confusion. Danny grimaced, not exactly excited about having yet another uncomfortable discussion with his sort-of-nemesis. Weren’t they doing well enough with how things were?<br/><br/>“This way seemed to work fine…” He felt normal after the first incident, no pain, no power fluctuation. <br/><br/>‘Stimulating’ a ghost as volatile as Plasmius seemed risky, and it <em> felt </em>like his core’s needs were sufficiently met, as Nocturn said. Even so… He didn’t need Vlad’s ectoplasm to be on steroids or anything, but he was <em> immensely </em> curious to see how it felt.<br/><br/>But was it necessary? “How strong do I need to be?” He asked casually. Shouldn't the fact that he was ‘feeding’ at all, even if to suboptimal standards, be good enough?<br/><br/>Nocturn looked away, his expression grave. “I don’t know, Danny Phantom,” He materialized a screen and Danny was once again forced to face Dan’s malevolent grin. <em> “How strong do you think you need to be in order to face your demons?” </em><br/><br/>Danny shot up in bed, flinching at the bright mid-morning sun. He felt more exhausted than when he fell asleep.<br/><br/>He rolled over as his phone buzzed, slapping his hand blindly around his night stand until it landed on his cellphone. It was Dani, responding to his earlier text about hanging out today. He almost forgot he asked her last night.<br/><br/>With a distracted sigh he climbed out of bed and got dressed, shooting a text to his mom that he’d be hanging out with Sam all day. He changed from Fenton to Phantom and began his flight across town to Val and Dani’s neighborhood. They’d moved from their shabby apartment to a nicer place last year after Mr. Grey became head of security again, albeit at one of Vlad’s lower security businesses. It was a small pharmaceutical company that Danny knew was a front for Vlad’s ectoplasm-based experiments, but no one outside of his ghostly employees knew that of course.<br/><br/>Danny wasn’t supposed to know, and Val certainly wasn’t supposed to know, but Dani told them all sorts of things about Vlad whenever the other halfa came up in conversation.<br/><br/>He was so lost in thought he nearly collided with his cousin fifty feet up in the air.<br/><br/>“Danny!” She shouted, barely dodging before he slowed to a stop.<br/><br/>He shook his head, “Sorry, I really gotta pay more attention up here…” And he flinched back when a familiar pink beam shot past his face. Plasmius was here?<br/><br/>He looked down to where the beam came from to find Valerie suited up as Huntress, raising her visor so he could see her grinning up at him.<br/><br/>“Ah, so you’ve finally decided to spar with us, Phantom? Did it take awhile to muster up the guts?” Danny grinned back despite himself.<br/><br/>“I’ve been well, thank you for asking Val.” Another beam shot up at him, closer this time. He jumped away but laughed, “You still shoot like Skulker.”<br/><br/>She and her sick hoverboard zoomed up until she joined the half-ghosts higher in the sky. “How dare you compare me to that tin-head!”<br/><br/>Dani flew between them, “Ladies, ladies, you’re both very pretty, but I’m assuming Danny reached out for a reason after a year of silence.” She sounded slightly bitter and gave Danny a look that left him feeling guilty for not reconnecting any sooner.<br/><br/>Last time they spoke was Christmas last year and it was getting cold again…<br/><br/>He scratched the back of his head, “Uh, yeah… Sorry about the cold shoulder-”<br/><br/>“If that was an ice-core pun I’m punching you.”<br/><br/>“But… I’ve had a lot going on…” Dani softened at the wilting tone of her original. Even Valerie leaned toward him a bit, concerned.<br/><br/>“What’s up, Fenton?”<br/><br/>Danny glanced at her, unsure. He hadn’t really expected her to be with them today, despite the fact that she and Dani were attached at the hip after the unofficial adoption. He’d only ever confided in Dani about his troubles with the portal trauma and his issues with Vlad and his future self. He'd only told Val about the future because she'd been so involved, protecting Amity Park and fending off his and Vlad's evil fusion. <br/><br/>His eyes danced from her dull greens to Dani’s glowing greens before dropping to stare below them. “Honestly,” He heaved a weighty sigh, “So much. I actually came up here to train and not think about all of it for now…”<br/><br/>The girls shared a look, “Okay, Danny, if you say so. But if you need to talk-”<br/><br/>“I do.” He interrupted, “I definitely do, but later. Right now, ghost powers.”<br/><br/>They spent the next hour or two catching up in between little spars and fights, showing off new tricks and skills, brushing up on old ones. He was trying to teach Dani his ghostly wail but it appeared to be taking about as well as his attempts to replicate her own vocal gift.<br/><br/>She managed a weak sound wave before pouting at Danny. He chuckled. “It’s cool, I spent an embarrassingly long time trying to do the voice-copy thing you do. Zero success.”<br/><br/>She snorted, “Oh come on, that’s easy. Same concept as your ghostly wail, just without wailing. Concentrate your ghost power into your speaking voice.” He raised a brow, looking to Val for help. She shrugged, simply watching them. It all sounded like they were speaking Greek to her, so she couldn’t exactly give any insight.<br/><br/>“Yeah, okay…” Danny said somewhat sarcastically, taking a large breath and focusing his core to his chest like he did before a wail. Nothing, just an awkward croak that left the girls giggling at him. He growled.<br/><br/>This time he let out a real ghostly wail. He released it up into the air, the clouds above them clearing until they thought they could see stars in the day time. Danny focused on keeping that feeling, letting it seep into his vocal folds and stay there.<br/><br/>He looked back at their stunned faces, “Ha, <em> laugh at that Dani!</em>” Val remained a little awe-struck at the display at first but they both jumped in surprise as Dani began to cackle uncontrollably.<br/><br/>When she didn’t stop Val placed a hand on her shoulder, “D? You alright?” She kept laughing. Her entirety of her eyes glowed red and her face was blank despite the giggles that spilled from her lips.<br/><br/>Val looked up to Danny and they both made to grab the young halfa and bring her down until they were safely standing on the ground. Valerie’s head snapped to Danny. “What did you do to her?”<br/><br/>Danny looked incredulous, “Me? I didn’t do anything!”<br/><br/>Val glared, “Your creepy ghost-whisper was the last thing she heard!” Danny scoffed.<br/><br/>“It’s called a ghostly wail, we’ve been through this.”<br/><br/>“<em>After </em> that, Fenton!” That confused Danny further. What had he said after the ghostly wail?<br/><br/>“I just said… Laugh at that?” And now Dani was laughing?<br/><br/>“You didn’t <em> say </em> anything,” Val snarked, “just that creepy whisper-moan. Is it a ghost spell?” He was about to call her crazy when a haunting realization began to creep into Danny’s mind.<br/><br/>“D,” He started, and he put all of his energy into the sensation of his ghost core manifesting in his voice the same way it had before, “<em>Stop laughing. </em> ”<br/><br/>Dani abruptly stopped, red eyes fading to her usual white and glowing green as her posture relaxed. She blinked at their stunned faces. “What… just happened?”<br/><br/>Val sent Danny an accusatory glare before hugging Dani close, “The ghost whisperer here made these creepy noises and put you in a trance.”<br/><br/>Dani raised a brow, looking up at her cousin. “Huh?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, “I dunno! All I said was ‘laugh at that!’ and you wouldn’t stop.”<br/><br/>“You didn’t <em>say </em> anything, Fenton!”<br/><br/>“How are you gonna tell me what I did and didn’t say?!”<br/><br/>“Ladies!” Dani shouted. They were her two favorite people but they fought like cats and dogs sometimes!<br/><br/>Dani held a hand in front of Danny and looked at Val expectantly, who looked smug at being able to say her piece first. “After he wailed, he looked back at us and this weird, whispery moaning sound came out of his mouth. It was like multiple voices echoing over each other. It’s hard to describe but it was <em> damned </em> creepy.” She looked at him with barely concealed disgust.<br/><br/>Danny frowned. He knew what he said, and it had been plain English.<br/><br/>Dani, however, looked much more fascinated than disgusted. She turned human and stared up at the taller halfa. “Danny, do you think you could do it again?” He frowned, familiarizing himself with the memory of the feeling now that he’d done it at least twice. He nodded and gave it a try.<br/><br/>“<em>Laugh at that! </em> ” He said again, but instead of laughing, Dani’s eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped.<br/><br/>“That is <em> so </em> cool! It’s like some kind of ghost-speak! Holy crap!” She jumped up and down.<br/><br/>Danny and Val watched her excitement build, both lost until she finally explained. “In human form it just sounds like some ghostly moaning or like a creepy, haunted voice in your head playing backwards, all skippy, but it’s mostly these… unintelligible whispers.”* <br/><br/>Val pointed, nodding aggressively. “Exactly!” Dani turned to her cousin.<br/><br/>“But as a ghost, I think I just heard an irresistible command. I don’t remember actually hearing you tell me to laugh, or laughing, but I think it’s like ghost hypnotism! You just got the dopest of ghost powers, bro!”<br/><br/>Danny’s face lit up and he turned human to jump around with her and share the excitement. Ghost hypnotism! Fucking OP as hell! He felt more excited than when he first saw Dan do the ghostly wail in the portal from Clockwork’s lair!<br/><br/>Val rolled her eyes, “Great, more freaky ghost powers.” The two halfas beamed at her.<br/><br/>“Don’t you understand how easy ghost-nabbing is gonna be for him now?”<br/><br/>Danny laughed, absolutely high. “Dude, I literally just have to say ‘Go back to the Ghost Zone’ and I’m <em> done </em> for the day! I wonder if it works on allghosts. This is so <em> COOL!</em>”<br/><br/>Val laughed, “Make Vlad give my dad a raise.” Dani laughed, pushing Val’s shoulder.<br/><br/>“Eff that, make him <em> not </em> be evil all the time!”<br/><br/>Danny paused at the possibilities. He could theoretically make Vlad do all sorts of things if this power worked on him. His mind began to entertain some darker thoughts but he yanked himself out of that gutter. No, he couldn’t use these powers for selfish reasons. That was evil.<br/><br/>Clockwork’s voice echoed yet again in Danny’s head.<br/><br/><em> Evil and self-serving are two different states of being. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Danny smirked.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*Dead ass could not formulate the words to properly describe how this sounded in my head so here is some reference for how Danny’s GhostSpeak sounds to human ears if you had trouble imagining it.</p><p>It’s a mix of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0TcDYL4N_A<br/>And the weird skipping ghosty moans from Simon Curtis’ ‘Super Psycho Love’. It may sound wack,  I’m not sorry, it sounds cool as all fuck in my head, but you can pretend it sounds however you like if it pleases your headcanon.</p><p>I'm on tumblr under the same username, follow and message me, yo.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Indiscretion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Danny confronts Vlad in more ways than one.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Surprisingly, it is only a few days later that Daniel returns to the mansion. Vlad had been sure the boy would stay away at least a week longer, but he supposed they were due to feed soon. He himself was beginning to feel a bit desperate, but he wouldn’t let Daniel in on that. Vlad was capable of suffering for much longer if it meant that Daniel wouldn’t know the extent of the power he now held over him. Even so, he thought he recalled Daniel agreeing to contact him before popping in but it seemed he had no respect for said agreement.<br/><br/>That, or he found the idea of texting the other to be just as weird as Vlad did.<br/><br/>He had a tumbler of brandy in his hand halfway to his mouth that Daniel eyed warily as he floated up from the office’s floor. Upon seeing it the hero twisted around dramatically left and right, eyes bouncing all over the study before settling upon the older halfa sitting at the desk. </p><p>“Where the hell is there even a bar in here?”<br/><br/>Vlad fought to keep his eyes on the book he was reading, not giving Danny the satisfaction of his gaze at first. “Hidden away from trespassing teenagers.” It was indeed hidden, but mostly because Vlad simply enjoyed a good hide-away nook.<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes, “I guess it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Then he smiled at his own joke.<br/><br/>Vlad did look up this time, at his watch first, then to Daniel. “Yes. It is. Here. It is literally five-seventeen in the evening.” He could feel a vein in his forehead swell in irritation.<br/><br/>Danny grinned, throwing his hands up in surrender. Vlad shook his head, already exhausted by his presence. Danny eventually placed his feet on the carpet and walked up to lean over and see what Vlad was reading. “At least you’re in a better mood than last time. Barely.” He looked around again when Vlad glared at his close proximity. “This room still looks like hell, by the way.”<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes averted back to the book, “If you would contact me before coming like we agreed in the beginning, you wouldn’t have had to see that.” He then looked up to glare at Danny’s floating form. “And you wouldn’t have gotten beaten so badly if you would have just gone away like I asked.”<br/><br/>Danny snorted, upper lip curling to reveal a large canine, effectively transfixing the older halfa. His fangs were growing at an alarming rate, but Vlad had nothing to compare it to besides himself so he couldn’t be sure if it was normal. “I survived. Besides, one right swing and you were out like a light. I even tucked you in.”<br/><br/>Vlad flinched despite himself. Had it really been that easy? Vlad couldn’t recall how the fight ended, or even turning in the night before. He’d drank way too much, but had Daniel really had to put him to bed that night? He was mortified.<br/><br/>“You’re lying.” And his narrowed eyes dared Danny to say otherwise.<br/><br/>Danny smirked wickedly, floating up to hover a foot in the air, “Made sure you were nice and comfy, then I cleaned up most of your hissy fit in the lab. I mean, I would definitely clean it again if I were you, but I got most of the goo, I think.”<br/><br/>Vlad had already cleaned his lab, having fully expected Daniel to do a half-assed job, but the other part of what the boy said was sticking out, echoing loudly in Vlad’s head.<br/><br/>“You said… Daniel, did you… Did you strip me?” He couldn’t believe what he was asking but he had to know.<br/><br/>Danny’s face exploded into a cherry-red blush, “Wh-what are you talking about?!”<br/><br/>Vlad barely stifled a hysterical chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. “I woke up in my underwear, and I certainly don’t remember stripping myself in my state. As you said yourself, I was out like a light.” He stared at the sputtering young man in disbelief.<br/><br/>It wasn’t like he was angry, he had nothing to be ashamed of. He’d been on the cover of Billionaire Bachelor Magazine nine times, and he’d been their most eligible bachelor three years in a row. Shy was not a word one would associate with Vlad Masters.<br/><br/>He honestly just couldn’t believe that Daniel had it in him.<br/><br/>The hero was a pervert.<br/><br/>Vlad told him so.<br/><br/>Danny frowned and sputtered some more, clearly embarrassed. “No I’m n-not! Shut up! You’re drunk!”<br/><br/>At this, Vlad could stifle his laughter no more.<br/><br/>“Oh, Little Badger, taking advantage of poor drunk halfa-”<br/><br/>“Oh, like you’re some hot sorority girl-”<br/><br/>“I was so vulnerable!” Vlad swooned dramatically, unable to get enough of Danny’s embarrassment. If only he could feed off of this instead.<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes and groaned, running his hands through his hair and turning his back to the man to hide his humiliated face. He wished he could just say he lied and that Clockwork had put him to bed technically, that <em> Clockwork </em> was the weirdo for taking his clothes off, but he wanted to keep the time ghost out of it if he could, and he’d already dug himself too deep now…<br/><br/>He just hadn’t expected Vlad to tease him this hard. “God, you are such a <em> Frootloop! </em> ” He screamed.<br/><br/>Vlad chuckled at the boy’s back, watching his shoulders heave what looked to be heavy breaths as Daniel calmed himself down.<br/><br/>He felt like he was glowing after that, thoroughly entertained by Danny’s awkward teenage suffering. Vlad hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed their back and forth, especially when Daniel fumbled in their battle of wits. Which was more often than not.<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes looked past the floating form, catching sight of a burnt crater in the wall. He sobered, sighing after a while, “Really though, you shouldn’t have had to deal with that, Daniel. Please forget it ever happened.” Regardless of whether or not Danny had truly ‘tucked him in’ the other night, he shouldn’t have had to in the first place. He was Vlad Masters, something as day-to-day as frustrating or unfavorable news shouldn’t break down his control like it had.<br/><br/>Danny twisted around slowly, floating down to stand in front of Vlad’s desk again. “You know, alcohol isn’t the solution to all your problems…” And Vlad suppressed an empty laugh. Daniel thought he was an alcoholic.<br/><br/>“Ah, yes, but it <em> is </em> a solution.” Vlad said before he could stop himself. There was a pregnant pause. He dared a look up to Daniel to find the boy’s mouth hanging open.<br/><br/>“Was that… a pun?” Vlad shrugged, looking away innocently.<br/><br/>“It’s merely a fact.”<br/><br/>Danny grinned, “It was a pun. You made a-”<br/><br/>“Can we get to what you came here for, Little Badger?” Danny’s mouth snapped close so fast that his teeth clicked together loud enough for Vlad to hear.<br/><br/>When Vlad simply stared at him Danny frowned. “You know why I’m here, quit playing dumb.”<br/><br/>This time Vlad grinned, quite eager to feed and experience Danny’s core energy once more, “Then I suppose it’s time we made our way to the lab, my boy.”<br/><br/>“No.” Danny grumbled. Vlad tilted his head curiously. Was Daniel not experiencing the hunger? He knew he himself was, so Daniel’s own core must be starving. He stood, walking around his desk to lean back against the front of it, facing the ghost boy.<br/><br/>“No?” Vlad asked simply, truly unsure of why Daniel would object to relieving the pain. Sure, it was likely very ‘awkward’ for the boy, but avoiding embarrassment wasn’t worth weakening himself, especially as Amity Park’s little ghost savior. Besides, he’d gone out of his way to make things as clinical as possible, but that was mostly for his own sake. Daniel had grown into a fine young man, but even if no one was watching Vlad felt strange pressing himself up against someone less than half his age, much less biting at their neck.<br/><br/>He waited for the boy to answer, genuinely perplexed.<br/><br/>Danny blinked slowly, at first unaware that he’d even said anything. He didn’t want to go to the lab, he realized, because he didn’t want to feed from the beaker or test tube. He really wanted to bite Vlad. He was beyond curious about the supposed venom that they could use and he wanted to see if his new ghost powers could give him command over Plasmius.<br/><br/>Ever since the fight that occurred in this very office his mind had been plagued with little else besides the smug man before him, and it had only gotten worse after discovering his new gift.<br/><br/>Sam and Tucker had been fascinated when he showed them the new ghost powers the day after meeting Dani and Val. Well, Sam had seemed unsure at first, warning him not to get too carried away, especially until they learned more about it, but they were otherwise thrilled that ghost fighting had just gotten significantly easier. Tucker even recorded it with his PDA, and when he played it back under a different frequency they could actually hear and understand him. They geeked out for a good while about it. Danny was so pumped that he high fived Tucker so hard their hands hurt the rest of the day. There had been no ghosts for him to fight right then, so he couldn’t show them the actual ‘hypnosis’ part, but he’d practiced with Dani and Val in the Ghost Zone the day before and he was decently confident.</p><p>Danny gathered all of his nerve and looked Vlad in the eyes, brows furrowed in determination.<br/><br/>“You’re gonna tell me what those results mean, and why they made you so pissy that night.” Maybe he wasn’t going to try his new powers <em> just </em> yet, not until he needed to. Danny wanted to see if Vlad would spill his guts on his own.<br/><br/>Vlad grimaced, grabbing the tumbler of brandy from the desk and throwing it back with a smoothness that had Danny worried for the man’s liver. Vlad noted the nervous gaze. “Going to need plenty of that if we’re going to get into touchy-feely territory, Daniel.”<br/><br/>Danny rolled his eyes, “Or you could, I don’t know, have some form of emotional maturity or a concept of honesty.”<br/><br/>“Ha!” Vlad laughed, “Please tell me all about emotional maturity, Daniel. I’m listening intently.”<br/><br/>Danny threw his hands up and plopped into the chair Vlad had been sulking in the other night across the room from them. “What emotions do you have about an ectoplasm analysis?! You’re always so freaking overdramatic! Just tell me what I need to know and for once in your life, <em> stop being so sneaky </em> !”<br/><br/>Vlad glared, turning slightly to half-sit on his desk. “Don’t play stupid, Daniel, it isn’t a good look.”<br/><br/>He sighed when Danny just folded his arms and glared expectantly. Vlad went intangible and phased backwards through his desk, plopping into the office chair and placing a large hand over his eyes. “<em>You </em> know what a ghost core is outside of ecto-energy. It is a ghost’s fixations, their thoughts, their emotions, their essence. The test shows that your core has, to put it quite basically, <em> synced </em> itself to mine after you so thoughtlessly bit me. Not only the ecto-biological aspects. I’m not sure what all that entails, hence my frustration.” He peeked from behind his hand at the sound of Danny’s sudden guffaw.<br/><br/>“<em>That </em> was just a little ‘frustration’? You wrecked your own place and tried to <em> kill </em> me!” Danny laughed again, shaking his head. Well, that would explain the intensity of his recent obsession with Vlad. Their ‘essence’ had mixed or whatever, and it was just as Tucker said. He was tethered to Vlad, core to core.<br/><br/>The sound of said halfa’s mocking tone broke through the thought before he could digest all of that. “Oh, please! If I wanted you dead-”<br/><br/>“You would have killed me a long time ago. Yeah, yeah, I know.” Vlad frowned but didn’t say anything more.<br/><br/>“You know,” Danny sat back further in the chair, smirking. “You’re kind of predictable, you know that?”<br/><br/>Vlad narrowed his eyes, running the hand over his face until it paused to stroke his beard. Danny watched him think, waiting.<br/><br/>“I didn’t like the idea of being essentially shackled to someone, you of all people.”<br/><br/>Danny blinked at the admission, “Shackled? How would you be shackled to me?”<br/><br/>Vlad stared at him quite intensely, as if someone died and he didn’t know how to tell him. “Daniel, we will be forced to see each other rather often, for quite possibly a very long time.”<br/><br/>Danny pursed his lips tightly, slowly nodding in newfound understanding. After a few moments he couldn’t stand the atmosphere and released a few nervous chuckles. “Figured being ‘shackled’ to someone would be your type of thing, lonely Fruit Loop…”<br/><br/>Vlad snarled, missing the slight innuendo and latching on the mentioning of his loneliness, “Would you like to be shackled to someone who thinks of you as an utter villain?”<br/><br/>“You <em> are </em> an utter villain!” Danny said before he could stop himself. He winced. This wasn’t the atmosphere he was going for either.<br/><br/>The older halfa looked into his eyes with an empty, searching gaze. With the disappointed expression Vlad wore, he likely didn’t find what he wanted there. His face morphed into a mask of cold indifference. “Case and point, Daniel, now let’s go to the lab and get this over with.” He made to stand, looking like he was hiding some betrayed emotion that Danny didn’t think he had the right to feel after all Vlad put him through.<br/><br/>“No!” Danny shouted again, halting him. “You’re just scared! You’re afraid I’ll see how sad and angry you are and point out how you’re the root of all your problems! You don’t want someone calling you out on your mistakes or telling you that what you’re doing is wrong, but I already do that! It’s a reality check you need!” Vlad looked like he was about to yell back at him but Danny cut him off again. “I just wish you would get it through your thick skull that I’m not going to use it against you.”<br/><br/>They’re eyes locked. Vlad looked suspicious, but Danny understood. “I can’t use it against you. We need each other now.” And Vlad knew that he meant they needed the other’s core energy to maintain, but the fact that someone needed him…<br/><br/>No one had ever said something like that to him before.<br/><br/>The study was silent for a few moments, Danny staring at his hands and missing the look Vlad was sending him. The ghost child sighed, his voice small. “I want this to work, I don’t want either of us to waste away or turn into some monster. I’m fully aware that my life has changed, I deal with the changes daily. It’s not ideal but we’re already stuck like this for now.”<br/><br/>“We’re stuck like this forever.” Vlad corrected in a soft, low voice, eyes dropping when he felt Danny finally look up at him. “I… can’t formulate a synthetic. It won’t take. Can’t make anything better than a perfect match, after all.”<br/><br/>“Oh…” Danny mumbled, eyes falling like Vlad’s as he leaned forward. “I guess that would warrant a tantrum then.”<br/><br/>Vlad snorted, “Glad I have your permission.” The silence returned, both parties trying to figure out how this would affect their futures.<br/><br/>Danny’s green eyes drifted up to Vlad’s face. He was staring at something on his desk, deep in thought. So they had to stay close for the rest of their lives. They could make that work, right? Danny hadn’t really bothered with applying to colleges or anything, not with his grades, and he’d been planning to tell his parents about his half-ghost status after graduation.<br/><br/>He could continue to protect Amity Park, given that his parents stopped hunting him upon learning his identity. If not, he’d live in the Ghost Zone. Danny could definitely make a life there. Sure, he’d miss his family and friends and being human, but he had access to thousands of other worlds he could explore for the rest of his life, however long that may be. Sam, Tucker and Jazz were welcome to visit him there in whatever lair he acquired. And of course, he wouldn’t be too lonely if he had to see Vlad so often.<br/><br/>An abrupt laugh escaped him as he imagined the two of them, being all domestic and casual around each other in the Ghost Zone. Where the hell had that come from? He dared a glance at the other halfa to see him now staring back.<br/><br/>“Something funny about our misfortune, Daniel?”<br/><br/>“So much.” He admitted. Danny fought the smile, nervous laughter once again threatening to escape him... What a weird thought. Not particularly weirder than other recent thoughts of Vlad, but definitely odd.</p><p>“What are we going to do?” Danny asked, if only to get a definite idea so his mind would stop supplying ridiculous fantasies.<br/><br/>Vlad blinked, “I don’t know, Daniel. As easy as it would be to lord over your life and make the decision for you, we both know you’re more stubborn than that. I haven’t bothered making a plan simply because I know you will object.” His tone and face was indifferent but his body language spoke of defeat. Not having a plan was uncomfortable for him. He could see the different scenarios play out in Vlad’s eyes before he finally started verbalizing them, proposing them to Danny like one of his business meetings.<br/><br/>“I suppose I could just send you samples of my ectoplasm wherever it is you decide to go next fall.” Vlad continued, trying to think of solutions. “Then again we’re ghosts, so travel isn’t out of the question, especially with access to portals. It would depend on our schedules to some extent...” He glanced across the room at the other half-ghost, waiting for an answer.<br/><br/>Danny frowned, confused, “I’m… not going anywhere? We can just see each other in the Zone.”<br/><br/>Vlad’s hand dropped from his chin and he sat forward in his chair, mirroring Danny. Did the boy mean to say that he was done with advancing in life? Where did he plan on living? <em> How </em> did he plan on living? “Daniel, you have to go to college. What about your education?”<br/><br/>Danny looked self conscious, “I mean, with all the ghost hunting over the years I don’t exactly have a chance with that. I think my GPA is a two or something… And… Well, ghosts are my job. If I want to learn anything it’s gonna be about ghosts, and where better to learn than the Ghost Zone?” <em> And from you? </em> He wanted to add, but he couldn’t quite get it out.<br/><br/>Vlad desperately wanted to argue but the boy supplied a decent point. Vlad would have stayed in paranormal studies at Madison until there were no more classes to take- <em> if </em> he hadn’t gotten into the accident and spent so long in the hospital. Business seemed like the best choice after that, but he too had poured into ghostly studies once released from the academic constructs of university.<br/><br/>Daniel was just skipping a miserable, tedious step.<br/><br/>“Still,” Vlad reasoned, “It’s an important life experience to attend college.” Danny seemed resigned to not even trying and only gave him an awkward shrug. Vlad nodded, mentally giving a shrug of his own. “I could get you into Madison if you change your mind.” Daniel had missed out on enough after his own run in with a ghost portal, and he was truly a bright boy underneath it all.<br/><br/>He looked over at the boy who now stared at him with quite possibly the dumbest face of awe that Vlad had ever seen.<br/><br/>Perhaps deep, <em> deep </em> underneath it all.<br/><br/>Danny gaped. He couldn’t believe his ears. Did Vlad just offer to… help him?<br/><br/>“Then you’d never get me out of your hair.” He joked breathily after a moment. Could he really go to college? What about Amity Park?<br/><br/>Vlad smirked and leaned against his desk, propping his chin with his left hand and closing his book with his right. “I suppose I hadn’t thought about that.”<br/><br/>Danny grinned, knowing that was a lie. Vlad typically over-thought about everything, especially if he was making someone an offer. He couldn't wrap his head around Vlad being so nice to him without an ulterior motive.<br/><br/>“I suppose you could stay in one of the rooms here, for convenience sake…” Vlad offered casually, his voice trying not to sound too hopeful.<br/><br/>“<em>Pfft!! </em> ” Danny slapped a hand over his mouth, barely stifling his laughter. Four years ago he would have blasted Vlad in the face for merely suggesting he come live at the castle. Then again, everything was a totally different offer now.<br/><br/>Four years ago it had felt like a demand, “<em>Oh Daniel, come be my son and evil protege, train under me and we shall rule the humans and ghosts alike! All you must do is renounce your father! … And bring your mother!”<br/><br/></em>Now it was, <em> “Hey so we already have to feed from each other to survive, so, do you want to live with me(your latest infatuation) and train together as halfas and maybe go to a great university and build a future in the human world while you explore the Ghost Zone, maybe with someone just like you?” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em>Now Danny had more options, somewhere else to go if his parents still decided they wanted to tear him apart molecule by molecule, if Sam and Tucker got into schools far away and he couldn’t live with his friends after graduation like he’d envisioned as a kid. He breathed a laugh behind his hand again. He just couldn’t believe that living with his archenemy legitimately sounded like a really cool idea.</p><p>Vlad mistook the smothered giggles as mockery and growled, “A simple ‘no, thank you’ would suffice, Daniel. No need to be rude.” He jerked his head to the side to face the wall, unable to handle being laughed at directly to his face.<br/><br/>Danny’s hand flew from his mouth to wave frantically in the air as he floated up from the seat until he reached the desk Vlad moped at, “No! That’s… actually an extremely generous offer, it just... sounds eerily similar to the one all those years ago. You can’t tell me that’s not funny.”<br/><br/>Funny? Vlad’s deadpan face was all the reply he needed. Danny shook his head, “It’s just ironic that now I… kinda want to say yes? To living here and training… and maybe even college.” It still sounded fake, especially out loud. Could it be another one of Plasmius’ tricks?<br/><br/>Vlad huffed, still not looking at the younger halfa. “I didn’t know you understood irony, Daniel.”<br/><br/>“Then I guess you’ll be paying for remedial English classes too while I'm here.” That finally got Vlad to look at him. His eyes searched Daniels once again.<br/><br/>Did he… Did he truly want to come live with Vlad? Did Daniel really want to train under him? To study ghosts? Attend his alma mater? A smile began making its way to Danny’s face the longer the other stared wordlessly so Vlad quickly schooled his expression.<br/><br/>“I expected as much.” He stood and braced both hands on the desk and leaned towards the floating halfa. “Though it will be entirely free to destroy you in the training room.”<br/><br/>Danny gasped almost excitedly before reigning it in, “You have, like, a legit training room? Separate from your lab?!”<br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow, “I also have a sauna, a home gym, four kitchens, twelve bedrooms and nine bathrooms, as well as various other smaller rooms of miscellaneous design. This is a castle, Daniel. I am a billionaire.”*<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. “Now you’re just bragging. Are you going to show me this training room or what?”<br/><br/>Vlad simply shifted to Plasmius and began sinking into the floor, Danny following suit and trailing behind his caped form until they were at the basement level in a room that looked very much like the nearby lab, but instead with targets and strange machines Danny had never seen before that rested upon the plated walls. His eyes bounced all over the room at the unfamiliar features.<br/><br/>“Here,” He looked back to see Vlad’s hand phased through a wall, “is where my lab is in relation.” Danny walked over and stuck his intangible head through the wall to have his eyes assaulted by the brightness of the pink portal within. Yep. Definitely the lab.<br/><br/>He brought his head back in, looking around again and squinting his eyes.  “I guess you wouldn’t really need a door, huh?”<br/><br/>Vlad blinked, “No, my boy, we wouldn’t.” He walked the rest of the way through the wall and into the lab. Danny followed, his eyes having to adjust once more. When he saw Vlad going straight to the glowing beakers he realized Vlad had gotten him in the lab somehow. He cleared his throat, easily catching the other’s attention.<br/><br/>“So… about you teaching me ghost things...” Danny trailed off. Vlad smirked, tilting his head to silently ask the boy to go on.<br/><br/>“I want you to tell me about ghost venom.”<br/><br/>Vlad actually looked stricken for a moment before composing himself. “You’ve been doing some research of your own, then, Little Badger?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, trying to look aloof. “I have other ghost friends, they tell me things too…”<br/><br/>Vlad ignored the ‘other’ part that implied he was included in that group of friends. “Clockwork.” He tried. That ghost was always watching Plasmius and waiting to mess with his plans should they turn too nefarious. He just hadn’t realized how often the spirit spoke to ‘The Ghost Child’.<br/><br/>Said ghost child puffed up, “No! I know <em> other </em> wise ghosts!”<br/><br/>Vlad squinted, “Nocturn!” A wolfish grin spread onto his face when Danny deflated in defeat.<br/><br/>Then the boy groaned, “Why does it matter who told me? Why didn’t you?” and Danny’s face was imploring.<br/><br/>A deep silver brow arched at the accusatory tone. “I suppose I just don’t use it very often. You could say that I binge, meaning I typically drain a ghost completely when I have to feed. There’s no real reason to make it a quick or painless death. No need for those <em> fuzzy feelings </em> when you’re ‘poofing’ from existence anyway.”<br/><br/>Danny held up his hands, “Wait, there’s so much to unpack there.” Vlad folded his arms but waited as he was told.<br/><br/>“One, that’s extremely horrible and sad, and this is one of those times when I’m gonna tell you how fucked up you are.” Vlad rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by the jerky waving of Danny’s still-raised hands.<br/><br/>“Two, there was a way to make it painless and you didn’t even tell- actually that doesn’t really surprise me at all.” He couldn’t help but wonder what Vlad meant by fuzzy feelings though. It seemed like a question he wouldn’t be able to verbalize to his crush without blushing so he skipped it for now.<br/><br/>“Thirdly, you’re literally obsessed with power and you don’t use the asset that is a supposed ‘stimulate’ to your prey’s core? You just don’t seem like the type to consume subpar anything, much less subpar ectoplasm.”<br/><br/>Vlad looked at him with an unsettlingly serious expression. He considered each of Daniel’s three points, but the last he picked apart very carefully. Of all his notes and research material, scientific or otherworldly, he had yet to come across any texts that suggested any other use for ghostly venom beyond incapacitating a victim.<br/><br/>Did Daniel receive this information from one of the older ghosts like Clockwork or Nocturn? Did Danny actually know more ghosts who would have that kind of information? Were all full ghosts or feeders inherently aware of this?<br/><br/>His contemplative silence must have tipped Daniel off, “You… didn’t know that?” There was no smugness, he must have just recently learned of this as well, but Vlad still felt a bit insecure suddenly. A pathetic feeling, but insecurity was not unfamiliar to him. He was Vlad Plasmius, he was supposed to know everything. At least more than the other halfa.<br/><br/>Would he even be a decent mentor for the boy?<br/><br/>He scrapped the thought. Again, he was Vlad Plasmius. He would always have something to teach young Danny Phantom. Vlad tried to remember previous feedings, when he’d bothered with using venom versus when he simply tore into his ghostly victims. Had he felt a difference?<br/><br/>Everything before syncing up with Daniel felt like a blur. He grit his teeth in frustration.<br/><br/>He couldn’t outright admit his complete ignorance to what was likely the primary function of the ghost venom. “A stimulant?” He questioned instead, turning to face the computer and opening a new tab within his data compiling program.<br/><br/>The younger halfa floated close to watch him type. “That’s what Nocturn said. Something about activation.” And Vlad nearly flinched at the boy’s proximity. Danny really seemed to have an issue with personal space.<br/><br/>Or perhaps Vlad had the issue?<br/><br/>He tried to ignore it, even when he felt Danny’s chest just barely touch his shoulder. His eyes narrowed at his screen but remained focused on the words. Surely the boy was aware of how strange the contact was?<br/><br/>“So the venom is something like a catalyst?” He turned to look at Daniel when he received no verbal response, only for their noses to nearly brush against each other. They both jumped back a little. He hadn’t realized Daniel had been <em> that </em> close.<br/><br/>“Y-yeah, he made it sound like it was better for us in the long run.” He could see the blush lightly dusting pale cheeks. Vlad slowly turned back to the screen and began searching through files of literature he had on ghost history and feeders but his mind wandered.<br/><br/>The younger halfa had been acting… almost too comfortable around him. Vlad couldn’t say he minded the attention or closeness the boy expressed, but he was suspicious by nature and the seemingly sudden change made him wary. It wasn’t that Daniel was the type to take one’s weaknesses or desires and manipulate them, but it was definitely on his list of concerns since it was something he himself would certainly do.<br/><br/>His search was yielding minuscule results to back Daniel’s claim but he found that he still believed it to be factual. He couldn’t imagine why Daniel would make something like that up.<br/><br/>“Nocturn also said I had new glands behind my teeth- uh, fangs?” Vlad turned back to see Daniel at a thankfully more appropriate distance, tongue prodding just behind said teeth.<br/><br/>Vlad nodded, “Quite likely- I do.” He returned to his human form and rolled his sleeves just once before grabbing two latex gloves and slipping them on.<br/><br/>“What’s that fo- Ah!” Danny’s eyes bugged comically as Vlad’s index finger pressed down on his bottom teeth to ease his mouth open.<br/><br/>“That’s right, say ‘ah’ Little Badger.” He smirked at the resulting glare but pressed intently at the roof of Danny’s mouth.<br/><br/>“They should be just here,” Vlad said, “There’s a small muscle you flex as you bite down, it releases the venom into the wound to mix with the ectoplasm present I’d assume. In relatively large amounts it can even reach the core.” It was mostly conjecture, but was theoretically sound. Sure, he’d missed the big picture in terms of the venom’s use, but his knowledge of ghosts provided all of the supporting details to the theory. He <em> had </em> used it on his prey before, he just hadn’t put as much thought towards it as he should have.<br/><br/>And now it was biting him in the ass.</p><p>He looked up to see Danny watching him intensely and he removed his fingers from the boy’s mouth in a jerking motion. Green eyes stayed lidded and focused on his own deep blues, despite their aversion. He pretended not to notice, but his neck felt hot and he knew his cheeks were probably shamefully scarlet. He transformed to Plasmius, feeling more sure of himself in that form, and much more blue in the face than red.<br/><br/>“Won’t that cause a spike?” The younger halfa rasped. Why did Daniel’s voice sound like that?<br/><br/>Vlad glanced at him but didn’t want to meet that gaze. “No. Once it reaches the core you’d experience something more akin to an emotional response, more like a calm or subdued euphoria, as the ghost’s consciousness is manifested at the core.”<br/><br/>“Ah, fuzzy feelings.” Danny said, quoting Vlad from earlier.<br/><br/>“Right.” It was awkward even for him now, and he was a grown man. Still, he feared that emotional response. He wanted to know if feeding from Daniel with the venom in the mix would prove that much more beneficial, for science of course, but would it be worth the potential vulnerability in the long run?<br/><br/>“Well who first, me or you?” Daniel seemed to think so. The boy jumped up to sit on the counter next to Vlad, the air around him thick with anticipation. Vlad imagined this was easier for someone who wore their emotions on their sleeve.<br/><br/>Danny watched as Vlad seemed frozen, likely considering every possibility under the sun in order to justify not doing this. Danny wasn’t stupid, he understood that this would likely put them in a weird position or state of mind if not done carefully, but he wasn’t going to let Vlad weasel out of it without ever trying simply out of fear or uncertainty. Nothing in life was certain.<br/><br/>He pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment, making what could quite possibly be a very damning decision. “Hey, Vlad,” He said softly, gathering his ghostly energy to build around his vocal folds. Vlad faced him cautiously.<br/><br/>Danny took a deep breath, “<em>Come stand right here.” </em> He commanded simply, pointing directly in front of himself. Already bright red eyes flashed and Vlad’s face seemed to go slack, no longer tense to conceal his reservations. Vlad moved the few steps forward and over to stand in front of where Danny sat on the counter, and for a moment Danny just reveled in the control. Vlad Plasmius, at his beck and call.<br/><br/>He half smirked as a thought entered his mind. <em> “Let your hair down.”  </em>and Vlad’s gloved, and somehow clawed, fingers ran through his hair in one smooth sweep, effectively making it cascade over his shoulders. Danny wondered if he could tame his own wild hair that way. Vlad looked particularly good with his hair down and his crush was officially realized right then and there. He had it bad for Vlad, a rhyme that disturbed even him, master of puns.<br/><br/>He’d had crushes, but they never felt this extreme. Did this make him gay? No way. He definitely rubbed it out to girls most of the time, they were soft and pretty and resilient and <em> hot</em>, but this felt… super charged? He’d never wanted to touch this bad.<br/><br/>It was so very strange to have the halfa just standing still there, right in front of him, right within reach. With that thought Danny’s hand independently drifted to the man’s chest, gingerly running his fingers over one of the pins that fastened his cape just at his clavicle. They danced over those bulky shoulders and down his muscular arm, Danny’s other hand doing the same after a moment, only this time creeping just under the cape.<br/><br/>Vlad’s outfit had always struck him as... interesting. Ridiculous, and dramatic, but also very <em> interesting</em>. Danny’s young wandering eyes naturally angled down his chest and then further, his fingers moving to tentatively ghost over Vlad’s hips and lower abdominals. Danny wasn’t sure if the man simply wore a long top or if Vlad truly had some form of a skirt in his ghostly persona but it had always intrigued him. It had actually been the subject of a really <em> weird, </em> disturbing upskirt dream when he was fifteen. Now he replayed it in his head he found himself getting terrible ideas.<br/><br/>Danny’s fingers hooked under the hem and he seriously debated flipping the garment to reveal what was underneath but he yanked his hands away as if burned. God, Vlad was right. He really was a pervert.<br/><br/>Vlad just stood there, though, lost in the trance. Danny realized that he hadn’t released the other half-ghost from the captivity of his voice.<br/><br/>“<em>Closer.” </em> Danny said, and Vlad obliged, perhaps against his will. Danny had to spread his legs to pull the older halfa almost flush to his chest and he sighed at the contact. Here he held the most untouchable man he knew. It was highly unlikely that anyone had made physical contact like this with Vlad in years, at least to Danny’s knowledge.<br/><br/>He ignored a strange flare of jealousy in favor of pondering what else he could get away with. His half-mast eyes found equally lidded red ones and he moved closer still, unable to stop himself but still hesitant. Danny knew it was wrong and immoral to use his powers to take advantage of someone or a situation like this, but part of his brain reasoned that it was <em> Plasmius</em>, and Vlad wouldn’t hold back if their positions were flipped, would he? No, he knew from experience that the other halfa would exploit the situation if presented the opportunity.<br/><br/>Danny’s fingers gripped the cape resolutely and dragged the man down just a bit further, his ghostly voice going a bit breathy, “... <em> Kiss me,” </em> he nearly whispered, his lips already centimeters from pale blue ones. Even to his own ears his ‘demand’ sounded too pleading. His cheeks heated and his eyes fell closed.<br/><br/>He didn’t know what he expected, part of him even hoped he hated it, but the feeling of warm lips and scratchy facial hair sent an almost electric current of need through him. Need to get closer, need to touch.<br/><br/>All of the conflicting thoughts swirling in his head seemed to freeze and fall away as the feeling took over. He was kissing <em>Vlad</em>.</p><p>He was <em> kissing Vlad. </em> It was exciting and so very forbidden on multiple levels.<br/><br/>He pulled back, lips still parted in utter astonishment. It was soft and short considering Vlad wasn’t completely active and aware, simply following a command, but he’d <em> never </em> felt this way after kissing someone before and he couldn’t believe kissing Vlad Plasmius felt so very pleasant. Danny pulled Vlad even closer and shuddered when they were once again pressed front to front, his lips still dangerously close to Vlad’s, <em> “Bite me,” </em> he ordered softly, nearly a whisper. Vlad pushed their cheeks together and nudged his face to the side to get to Danny’s neck and bit down hard.<br/><br/>Danny grunted, unsure if it would always be this excruciating or if Vlad was just cruel even in an incognizant state. “<em>Venom</em>,” He said through the pain, hoping the command could be understood. That was supposed to make it hurt less, right?<br/><br/>Vlad’s fangs sank deeper and a warm sensation bled from his neck after a moment. He’d already felt himself falling limp but now he felt like jelly. His core vibrated almost delightfully. This was way better than the first time, this was like Sam’s books, he was sure. It didn’t make him want to like, finish or moan like in the corny novels, but his eyes fell closed and he leaned into Vlad’s slight embrace. The tingling numbness at his neck seemed to continue to grow and the buzzing of his core became almost too intense after awhile. How much was too much? Danny hadn’t thought about the effect of excessive venom to his core.</p><p><em> “Stop,” </em> He ordered weakly, and Vlad removed his teeth obediently and leaned away to stare blankly at him through the haze of the influence of Danny’s power, no mouthing or lapping like last time.<br/><br/>Danny couldn’t bring himself to command Vlad lick at his neck anyway, that was too much for his already heated body, so he simply pulled the man back down so he too could feed when he eventually got feeling back in his limbs. He tried not to hurt Vlad at first, breaking the skin as gently as he could, but then Vlad made this guttural noise that sent an embarrassing surge of excitement through Danny and he couldn’t help biting harder. He felt it then, that muscle, and his mouth was filled with another foreign substance. He couldn’t taste anything, it was more like a sensation over his tongue than any sort of new flavor to the ectoplasm, but he was sure that he’d deployed the venom into the bite.<br/><br/>Danny’s hands grabbed below the collar of Vlad’s cape to keep him up as the man’s knees buckled and he began to droop. Danny wrapped his legs around Vlad’s waist and held the man up against him, shivering at the feeling of harsh breaths against his ear and neck. It felt so nice…<br/><br/>He hummed, ghostly power finally leaving his voice as he lost himself in the exchange.<br/><br/>“Daniel, stop it,” Danny jerked in surprise, gasping and subsequently released Vlad’s neck, barely fighting the panicked reaction to throw Vlad from him. The other halfa lay against him for a few more moments after Danny removed his mouth, leaning forward again after a moment more to daringly drag his tongue over the warm flesh to collect the glowing pink that dripped from the healing mark at his neck. Vlad wasn’t acknowledging the suggestive action, simply trying to regain his composure and refamiliarize himself with his surroundings.<br/><br/>Vlad blinked, unable to see anything more than the white of Daniel’s hair and the black of his suit. He tensed when he felt Danny’s legs unhook behind him and he realized the exact position they were in. Vlad pushed himself up and away as quickly and smoothly as possible in his disoriented state.<br/><br/>“What…?” He asked simply, confused. How had they gotten in such a position? He couldn’t even remember… When had they started to feed? He tasted ectoplasm in his mouth.<br/><br/>Vlad looked to Danny for answers but swallowed uncomfortably at the sight before him. Danny looked up at him from under white lashes, leaned back with his legs still spread inappropriately wide. “How do you feel?” Danny asked instead, his voice was back to that husky sound from before.<br/><br/>Vlad had to admit he felt better than ever, if not a bit confused. His core thrummed pleasantly and he felt… strong? Perhaps there had been no need to fear? No emotions were laid bare, and while Daniel was definitely looking at him differently, it wasn’t in that pitiful way he’d initially been afraid of seeing. Vlad didn’t feel any more aware of Daniel’s emotions or thoughts, so he could only hope it rang true vice versa. He himself didn’t feel any different in the realm of vulnerability. There was just a pleasant hum from his core and a sense of contentment.<br/><br/>Well, there <em> was </em> one other feeling.<br/><br/>Vlad felt himself turn away from Daniel unconsciously in some attempt to hide his front. He was definitely aroused, and he’d just been all over a teenage boy. Well, eighteen year old. His little nemesis. The son of his romantic fixation and his first enemy.<br/><br/>He sneered uncomfortably at the thrill that thought sent straight to his loins. He dared another look at the hormonally charged boy who now stared at a spot on the floor and sat with his legs pressed together, likely even more affected than Vlad.<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes caught the gory mess that was Danny’s neck and he fought a wince. He knew the venom had likely taken away most of the pain, or all of it judging by the way Daniel shielded his groin, but the sight was still grisly. He walked a few steps past the boy to a drawer where he stored items for general first aid and grabbed a cleansing wipe before making his way back to the silent, awkward looking boy.<br/><br/>Daniel flinched and shot him a surprised look as Vlad began wiping the ectoplasm from the nearly healed wound. The tension was palpable.<br/><br/>Danny was the one to break it, “Those were some… intense fuzzy feelings.” Vlad paused at that. The boy was right. One would assume a core stimulant would simply evoke pleasant emotions from that core, not physical pleasures.<br/><br/>Unless those feelings were already present.<br/><br/>Vlad’s brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to recall the details of their feeding but found his mind completely blank. He remembered taking off his gloves after inspecting Daniel’s fangs, then he was flush against the young halfa’s heated yet chilly body, fighting to remain upright as Danny fed. He couldn’t remember what happened within that expanse of time, but one or both of them must have been overcome with rather salacious thoughts at some point.<br/><br/>Vlad pulled away and tossed the wipe in a biohazard bin. “Yes, but I assure you those were not the feelings I’d had in mind when I said that.” At least the lapse in memory made it so they wouldn’t have to stew over whatever indecent thoughts or happenings took place during the feeding.<br/><br/>He looked back to Daniel, silently daring him to call the law about this. Then again, if reporting his crimes would do any good Danny would have done so a long time ago. He still felt strange about it, confused since he couldn’t recall his own actions, and therefore couldn’t justify them.<br/><br/>The bright pink blush on the boy’s cheeks made it seem like he remembered <em> exactly </em> how Vlad had behaved. Red eyes narrowed. Why didn’t Daniel seem confused at all? He was historically very open about his bewilderment, at least in Vlad’s eyes, but there was this strange knowing air around the boy that he didn’t like.<br/><br/>Daniel’s eyes met his briefly before flitting back to his lap, a mysterious smirk appearing on his still-wet lips. No, Vlad didn’t like that one bit.<br/><br/>Knowing smirks were <em> his </em> thing.<br/><br/>Though that somewhat devious expression on Daniel’s handsome young face excited something dark within him.<br/><br/>He pushed it down. “I definitely need a drink now.” Vlad murmured, and he turned to make way for his study when he heard a small thud behind him, followed by a pained hum. He turned back to see Danny bracing himself against the table and pulling himself up, giggling.<br/><br/>“I might join you,” Danny said, stumbling forward. Vlad raised a brow, leaning forward just in time to catch the boy as he fell, still chuckling and humming breathily.<br/><br/>“It seems as though you’ve had enough, Little Badger.” And Danny laughed again. How much venom had reached Daniel’s core? He didn’t know enough about venom as a stimulant to make any concrete assumptions on its effects on one’s core, but this had been closer to what he’d expected in terms of ‘fuzzy feelings’. At least he was right about <em> something</em>.<br/><br/>Still, it must have been too much if Danny was this sloppy, giggling mess. He himself felt very… light. It was so liberating not to feel the weight of his usual dark feelings pressing down on him, like a balm soothing his emotional aches. Perhaps Daniel’s pains and insecurities hadn’t had the time to fester into such an insurmountable dark cloud, allowing the ‘light’ side-effect of the venom at his ghost core to have nothing to balance it out.<br/><br/>That’s all being a half ghost was; a balancing act.<br/><br/>Vlad hauled the clumsy ghost child into his arms and floated up to his library. He wanted to look at a particular text that might shed some light on the subject, but he also wanted to keep an eye on Daniel. The young halfa didn’t object as he normally would have to being picked up. In fact, he was pretty sure the boy <em> nuzzled </em> him.<br/><br/>When he reached the large library he promptly dropped Daniel onto the uncomfortable antique-looking couch he had in there mostly for show. He’s never had any real use for it, as he seldom had visitors and <em> never </em> had them in his library. Vlad himself slumped into the chair next to it, running his hands up over his face.<br/><br/>He wasn’t used to any of this- the physical contact, the strange desires, the company. It felt like too much at once after living his life all alone. It wasn’t bad, just… different.<br/><br/>Vlad’s hands paused in rubbing his face, his fingers climbing back to his hairline to seamlessly thread through his long locks. His hair was down. He was sure he’d formed it into it’s usual Plasmius style upon changing to his ghostly form, but now it fell loose.<br/><br/>“I like your hair like that,” A dreamy voice said off to his right. He looked to see the top half of Daniel’s face peeking over the elegant arm of the couch at him. “It looks… handsome.” Vlad blinked.<br/><br/>After another moment of Danny’s bashful gaze Vlad stood stiffly, sure he had some alcohol in here somewhere. His eyes settled on a chronicle of texts on a semi-high shelf like they were a holy grail. With a dark flash he was Masters once more, reaching up and pulling back the collection one by one to reveal a glass bottle of deep amber liquor. Danny snorted.<br/><br/>“You have a real problem, Masters.” He could hear the boy shifting on the couch but couldn’t bring himself to look. He didn’t know how much of it was the venom or the feeding, but he didn’t like the attraction he was suddenly feeling. He’d always felt <em>some</em> form of attraction, or rather, a pull towards the young man, but it was turning into something else.<br/><br/>He took a swig from the bottle, wincing. He’d had encounters with men and women alike, paid and vetted professionals, but still valid experiences. It wasn’t the sexual desire towards a male that bothered him so much as it was the male in question. The age of the male in question.<br/><br/>The last name of the male in question.<br/><br/>But the attraction didn’t feel like it was <em> purely </em> physical. If it were he didn’t think those other factors would matter as much. Physical attraction could be dismissed, the planet was full of beautiful people. Madeleine was beautiful as well, but his obsession with her had been more than that.<br/><br/>He blinked at the past tense. When did the insatiable desire to possess her drift away from him? He glanced at the boy now sitting up on the couch, leaning lazily against the arm as he propped his chin against the heel of his palm, watching Vlad’s every move with those fluttering eyes. He took another drink.<br/><br/>He could hear The Police singing ‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ in his head and a disbelieving laugh bubbled up his throat. Danny tilted his head curiously. He’d never seen Vlad look this distressed. Sure, he’d seen the man under stress or caught in a sticky situation, but this kind of turmoil was a new look on the older halfa. He wore it well.<br/><br/>Maybe Vlad didn’t know how to cope with the pleasant sensations his core was emitting after being essentially poisoned by Danny. Vlad had told him that their cores were ‘synced’, did that mean their feelings were exposed to one another as the man so clearly feared? Was Vlad being overwhelmed by the intensity of Danny’s crush on him? Was he just flummoxed by the small stretch of time missing from his memory?<br/><br/>Could he be experiencing improper thoughts of his own towards Danny?<br/><br/>Danny laughed a little sadistically at how the tables had turned. It was fun knowing something Vlad didn’t. The thought of planning something sneaky with Vlad unaware made him feel powerful, he even had the urge to let out one of those villainous laughs Vlad was known for. He raised a hand to his mouth and bit his thumb to hold it back.<br/><br/>The thought of playing Vlad was immensely satisfying. Seduction was obviously on the table if he was reading Vlad right, but that brought a speed bump onto the tracks of his train of thought. Did he want to have sex with Vlad Masters? Plasmius? He’d just been going along with all of the untoward thoughts, not really stopping to analyze what could come of them. Perhaps his ghostly soul being under the influence of Vlad’s wasn’t the best state to be in for deciphering it all now, and Danny knew he made stupid decisions when he made them on his own, so he put them on the back burner for now and tried to enjoy the physical effects of ‘core activation’.<br/><br/>He sunk into the couch comfortably. His body felt nice and cozy, though he knew he was likely still a bit cold to the touch. It was like the pleasurable feeling of climbing into a warm bed after an utterly exhausting day, like being just on the cusp of sleep, half awake but already beginning to dream. Danny’s eyelids fluttered and fought to stay open. He glanced at Vlad to find him drinking out of that bottle again, but the man’s gaze was now fixed on a large, old looking open book, dutifully avoiding him. Danny sighed pleasantly, unbothered by the lack of attention for that moment.<br/><br/>Was this what alcohol intoxication felt like? This was awesome. If this was what they got when they numbed their pain with a drink then he finally understood adults and their affection for the stuff. He could see how easy it was to become an alcoholic, especially for someone with a lot of issues to block out.<br/><br/>Danny cast another worried look at the bottle, then Vlad as his eyes fluttered once more. After that, said worries were lost to blissful unconsciousness as he succumbed to the pleasant drowsiness that consumed him.<br/><br/>Upon hearing a soft snore Vlad raised his eyes from the book and watched the boy. He wasn’t finding many detailed accounts about how ghost venom actually worked any way. He’d have to seek the counsel of his own ghostly alliances as Daniel had done. He set the book back on the shelf, placing the bottle there as well. Vlad swayed a bit as he set about searching for a different book, one that was valuable so he could trade it to Ghostwriter for information. They weren’t particularly chummy, but Vlad was the only ghost who would associate with him after breaking the truce, having little sense of honor himself, and they had decent enough discussions when they met.<br/><br/>Once he located the shelf he’d been looking for and found the book he’d had in mind he gently pulled it from it’s spot, cradling it mournfully before flipping its pages open. It was one of, if not the oldest book of his mortal collection. He stole it from a museum nearly two decades ago when he was robbing certain establishments to build his wealth. The pages were yellowed and fragile, and the words were inked by hand in Latin and Greek. It was a book on the ‘underworld’, or Ghost Zone as people dubbed it now, written in the fifth century BC by human worshipers of Pariah Dark.<br/><br/>The texts detailed how to communicate with the ghost king and other undead entities beyond human conception. It was where he first heard of Nocturn, the demon of nightmares and dreams, and the great spirit of time, who he later learned was called Clockwork.<br/><br/>It was a historic artifact of the occult that had guided many of his expeditions into the Ghost Zone, and while he’d documented these trips and his findings, after hours of translating and deciphering each page, holding the original was one of the few things that still humbled him. Pariah Dark himself no longer struck awe in Vlad, having met and subsequently aided in the Ghost King’s defeat, but the centuries of history and immortal human obsession with the realm of the dead made him feel small, like a blip in the grand timeline.<br/><br/>Could he truly trade this to Ghostwriter? Surely the ghost would have information of equal value, ghost history went as far back as human history, even further if one considered that some entities had never been human in the first place. He needed to know everything about his ghostly core, how it would behave once locked on to another ghost’s. The intensity of his emotions and their foreign changes wasn’t something he’d ever heard about, the fact that he was also still alive could have more influence over his core than he’d initially assumed as well.<br/><br/>Vlad wasn’t sure if Masters and Plasmius were one or if they were two separate beings anymore. Ghosts stayed the same, but humans grew and changed all the time. Would Ghostwriter even have anything helpful for him, a halfa?<br/><br/>Could there perhaps be history of other halfas?<br/><br/>Yes, a trade was worth it. Nothing had ever before stopped Vlad Plasmius in his search for knowledge, and he knew nothing if not sacrifice and gratification.<br/><br/>Besides, he could just steal it back later.<br/><br/>With a shrug and a pleased smirk Vlad closed the book and left Daniel on the other side of the library as he floated up to his bedroom for the best sleep he’d gotten in weeks.<br/><br/></p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*Might sound modest for a true castle. He don't need a hundred and two rooms because wtf for? It's him and the cat. It's already a fucking castle. Ten bathrooms is fine. </p><p>It's probably gonna get even hornier from here on out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p><p>As always, thanks for the comments and kudos, love talking about gay ghosts with y'all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Oracles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Danny finally seeks advice from his best friends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lmaooo, I already had this written when I posted the last chapter, but some of y'all were already predicting my plans! I was like 'Damn, I must be a simple bitch' LORD. Well, here you go my lil dudes. Hope it's everything you wanted.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Danny’s eyes blinked open slowly, lazily taking in his surroundings. Weird, this wasn’t his room… It was dimly lit but it was huge and the air was dry. He’d been laying face down on a stiff couch with his cheek pressed into the soft material, a line of drool stringing from his mouth to the cushion. His brows furrowed in confusion as he pushed himself up, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he looked around. <br/><br/>The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of books, reaching all the way up to the vaulted ceilings. It was grand and elegant and he only knew one person on earth who would own a library like this. His hand slapped over his mouth. He’d fallen asleep in Vlad’s home, in his personal library. How did he even… <br/><br/>Oh god. Oh <em> fuck, </em> he’d kissed Plasmius yesterday. And he was still in the man’s house! He’d fallen asleep and reverted to his vulnerable human form after <em> kissing Vlad. </em> He quickly went ghost and frantically searched the room, sure that Vlad would emerge from the shadows to taunt him at any moment, but no such thing happened. <br/><br/>That’s right, Vlad didn’t know. <br/><br/>When Danny realized he was alone he relaxed a bit, taking only a moment to catch his breath before flying from his spot on the fancy couch. He had to get the hell out of there. <br/><br/>Danny took the long way, not daring to go through Vlad’s portal and cutting through the Ghost Zone for fear of running into the man in his lab should he be there. There's no way he could face the other halfa right now.<br/><br/>He panicked the entire flight home. What had he been <em> thinking</em>? So the venom had been more powerful than he thought, but he’d kissed Vlad <em> before </em> that. There was no ghostly influence to excuse that part. He’d been lost in the heat of the moment and he wanted to bang his head against a wall, or perhaps fly into the Ghost Zone and never come out. <br/><br/>Danny flew through the wall of his home and straight into his room, landing face first in his bed and screaming into the pillow.  He turned over and turned back into Fenton after releasing a bit of the tension. His only saving grace was that Vlad wouldn’t remember any part of it… <br/><br/>He turned back to his pillow and screamed again. God, he was such a fucking <em> creep </em> . He basically ghost-roofied Plasmius! Then he felt him up and <em> kissed </em> him. No matter how many times he said it in his head it still didn’t feel real, and it was rare when <em> he </em> couldn’t believe <em> his own </em> actions. <br/><br/>Wasn’t he the good guy? <br/><br/>He needed to talk to someone, he remembered thinking that the night before, even in his foggy-headed state, but who could he tell? Did he really want to tell his best friends what he’d done? They would tease him for the rest of their lives. That or they would be disgusted. Perhaps ashamed of him. He didn’t know which was worse. Anyone else that came to mind was an <em> immediate </em> no, but admitting that he had horny thoughts for Vlad to Sam or Tucker seemed physically impossible. Especially to Sam. She got annoyed when he’d fawned over Paulina and Val back in the day, her head would explode if he told her this. <br/><br/>Telling Jazz was probably out of the question. He trusted her to keep a secret but she was away at university for her psych degree, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her psychoanalyzing him for being attracted to their parent’s old college pal. <br/><br/>Oh Christ. He sat up in bed, running his hands through his messy raven locks. He hadn’t even thought of his parents. He’d wrapped his legs around a man that went to school with his mom and dad. What was <em> wrong </em> with him. He never really had a crush on a guy before, that would have been awkward enough, but this guy was forty, his parent’s friend, and <em> an evil fucking ghost. </em> <br/><br/>A knock interrupted what would have been his third scream that morning. “Danny? You alright in there?” Jazz’s voice came from behind the door. She sounded worried. <br/><br/>“I’m fine!” He said shakily, “Bad dream!” <br/><br/>There was a pause. “You wanna talk about it?” That brought a small smile to his face. <br/><br/>“Nah,” he said with a stronger tone, “I’m better now.” And he really wasn’t ‘better’ but the panic had subsided a bit at the concern in her voice. <br/><br/>“Okay…” She trailed off, “I’ll be here if you need me.” Jazz was always looking out for him. <br/><br/>Wait, Jazz? Was here? At home? <br/><br/>He shot out of and yanked the door open just as she was turning to walk away. “What are you doing here?” Didn’t she have school? What about her classes? <br/><br/>She stared down at him, “Christmas break.” She said simply. “Didn’t mom and dad tell you I was coming?” Danny brought a hand to his chin, trying to remember. Had they? He really hadn’t talked to them much since the whole feeder development with Vlad.<br/><br/>Danny hadn’t even realized December was half over. Maybe because he hadn’t heard his parents start their fighting yet. He’d been out of the house a lot this last month or so now that he thought about it. He hadn’t been paying much, if any attention to what went on in his classes, which was pretty reckless as a senior. When he wasn’t sitting through school he was with Sam and Tucker or in the Ghost Zone. <br/><br/>Sometimes he was with Vlad. <br/><br/>Danny screwed his eyes shut and forced thoughts of Vlad away as best he could, lest he start freaking out again. <br/><br/>“Are you sure you’re okay, Danny?” Jazz asked again. Her brother looked considerably upset, he wore it all over his face.</p><p>Danny’s hand moved behind his head to nervously scratch, “Yeah, I’m fine, really, it’s nothing. I mean, uh, maybe they told me about it and I forgot?” He doubted it. It had been a long time since he actually sat down and talked to his parents, even about day-to-day things, and it kind of bummed him out when he thought about the distance between them. It was convenient that they paid him so little attention most of the time, it made it easier to disappear and hunt ghosts. Other times it just hurt. <br/><br/>Jazz was all too aware that the poor relationship to his parents bothered Danny deep down. <br/><br/>Her baby brother was growing up without a real bond with his mother and father. He’d be graduating soon enough, and he’d told her he planned on telling their parents about what happened, about being Danny Phantom. She fully intended to stand by his side for support during both pivotal events, even offering a place with her if things didn’t work out with their parents, should they… reject what he’d become. Sam and Tucker had of course offered the same, so even if it wouldn’t work with her then Danny had plenty of options. <br/><br/>Jazz hoped her brother realized how loved he was, how many people cared for him. <br/><br/>Her hand joined his to mess up his already wrecked hairstyle and she nodded her head in the direction of their downstairs living room. “C’mon, let’s go hangout and watch some TV to fry whatever it is out of your brain for awhile. There’s bound to be <em> something </em> besides Christmas movies on.” She turned and made her way down the hall. <br/><br/>Danny smiled again, following her. He’d missed Jazz. “Only for a while, I really have to meet Tucker.” <br/><br/>Jazz paused at the stairs and looked back, “Everything alright?” She glanced down the staircase before looking back, “Ghost stuff?” She whispered. <br/><br/>He fought to maintain eye-contact, “Nah, just finishing up a project before break starts.” But he couldn’t even really finish the fib before she started shaking her head. <br/><br/>“You’re such a terrible liar,” She said with an amused smile, “You don’t have to tell me, as long as you’re okay.” <br/><br/>He cringed, “I… I think I’m okay. Maybe we can talk later…” After he talked to Tucker. This just seemed easier to tell a guy first for some reason, and Tuck had never judged him, not even a little. Plus, maybe some psychoanalyzing would do him some good since Danny himself couldn’t even figure out his motivations for doing something so… offbeat for him. <br/><br/>Jazz nodded patiently, “Well then let’s go chill for now.” and she turned to descend the stairs. <br/><br/>Danny pulled out his phone to text Tucker. <b> <em>Hey, could we hang out today? Just us?</em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> He knew it was a strange request. People at school called them The Three Amigos for a reason, and they seldom strayed from their trio. The last time he’d specifically asked that they exclude Sam was so he and Tuck could plan her birthday surprise. That’s it. His phone buzzed before he could even slide it back into his pocket. <br/><br/><b> <em>?????? Yeah, sure dude. When and where?</em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> - <br/><br/>Their destination was none other than the Nasty Burger. Danny and Tucker sat at the booth in the farthest corner so no one could overhear, per Danny’s request. Watching TV with Jazz had actually done very little to numb Danny’s brain, and his leg bounced anxiously under the table as he tried to find his words. How do you start a conversation like this? <br/><br/>“You good, Danny?” Tucker held his leaking burger halfway to his mouth, a thick eyebrow raised at his best friend’s sketchy behavior. He’d known Danny all their lives and he couldn’t remember ever seeing him this nervous outside of fighting ghosts. “There a reason Sam couldn’t come with us?” That was the part that made Tucker feel most on edge… <br/><br/>Danny tensed at the mention of Sam’s name and something clicked in Tucker’s head. A grin stretched across his face as he set his burger down and leaned forward. “Oh man, are you into her again? As much as I hated third-wheeling I’m really fine with-” <br/><br/>“No.” Danny interrupted, shaking his head minutely. “Definitely not. It’s probably the polar opposite of that…” <br/><br/>Tucker frowned, “What do you mean?” Was he crushing on Paulina again? <br/><br/>“It’s,” Danny bit his lip, wiping sweaty palms on his jeans under the table. “Tuck, I really messed up. Like, <em> really </em> bad.” <br/><br/>Tuck didn’t like the sound of that. Danny had a thousand yard stare that was boring into the table top. It looked like his teeth would bite straight through his bottom lip any minute and Tucker scooted forward in his seat and tried to meet his eyes. <br/><br/>“Hey man, it’s cool. I’m here so tell me what’s up.” Icy blue eyes flickered up to meet his and the look on Danny’s face had Tuck worried that he was about to say he’d gone all feeder on a human or something. <br/><br/>“I, uh, I used that new ghost power on Vlad yesterday…” Tucker squinted in confusion. So? <br/><br/>“Okay? Now he’s mad?” Tucker guessed lamely. “What did you make him do?” He kept imagining Vlad doing the macarena and Danny recording it on his phone, or maybe Danny had Vlad wire a shit ton of money to charity. <br/><br/>To his surprise Danny’s face turned a deep red color and he shrank in on himself. “No, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t remember.” <br/><br/>Tucker’s eyebrows rose up, thoroughly impressed. “Yo, you didn’t tell us that part. So the ghosts have no idea when you’ve hypnotized them? Dude, that’s even cooler!” Danny’s face remained grave, dampening his excitement quite a bit. <br/><br/>Tuck’s head quirked to the side at his best friend’s dark expression. “No? Not cool?” He tried, confused. Danny’s lips pursed and he had trouble keeping eye contact, glancing down at his lap unable to speak. <br/><br/>“Bro, you gotta spit it out. Just tell me what happened.” Danny looked like he was about to throw up any minute. <br/><br/>When he finally spoke it was like he had to pry his own jaws open. “I… I went over to talk about the results and, and ‘feed’,” He said with air-quotes, “and we talked and you know, I tried the power on him, and then,” It was like his friend was buffering, something for which Tucker had little to no patience, but he fought to stay focused and listen without interrupting or rushing Danny. <br/><br/>“And then?” He prompted softly after a while. <br/><br/>“And… I don’t know man, I wasn’t thinking clearly! It didn't feel real! It was weird- it <em> is </em> weird, and I swear I didn’t go over there thinking it would happen, I didn’t plan it or anything like that, not at all-” <br/><br/>“Dude, I love you, but you’re rambling again.” Danny shut his mouth, fixing his eyes on a random stain on their table. “Get to the point. You hypnotized Vlad, did your ecto-vampire thing and you-” Tucker gasped. “Oh my <em> god</em>, dude, is Vlad dead? Did you <em> kill </em> Plasmius?” <br/><br/>Danny shot forward with wide eyes and waved his hands between them. “No! No, he’s totally fine!” Pale fingers carded shakily though his dark hair and his eyes were once again glued to that fascinating stain on the table top. “I… <em> I kissed him </em> !” He whispered furiously, his voice breaking at the end. <br/><br/>Tucker sat up straight, his spine hitting the back of the booth painfully. “What?” He couldn’t believe his ears. He had to have misheard Danny. Just… What? <br/><br/>Danny looked him in the eye with his lips pressed together in a painfully tense line. When Tucker realized Danny was <em> not </em> about to repeat himself he let out a shaky breath, blinking rapidly as he attempted to digest the information. <br/><br/>“Are you sure <em> he </em> didn’t hypnotize and kiss <em> you </em> ?” Danny’s head lowered but his eyes never moved from Tucker’s, maintaining that grim expression on his face that served as all the answer Tucker needed. <br/><br/>“That’s… That’s <em> new</em>.” He didn’t know what else to say. Sam would know what to say. Why couldn’t Sam be here again? He shook his head in astonishment, quite literally speechless now. <br/><br/>Danny shrugged weakly, “Not really…” He mumbled almost inaudibly, but like hell Tucker was missing that. <br/><br/>“Seriously dude? Plasmius? Since when?” <br/><br/>A shaky, somewhat hysterical chuckle fell from his chapped lips, “I dunno, man. A couple years back, I guess. I had a few weird dreams, like any ‘normal’ teenager, and since then I’ve kinda… looked at him different. Like, <em> looked </em> at him, you know?” Tuck nodded uneasily, even though he definitely <em> didn’t </em>know. </p><p>It wasn’t ‘normal’ for a teenager to have an archenemy in the first place, and it was especially not normal to have wet dreams about them. He didn’t want to point out that Danny was the opposite of normal in every sense anyway, because he knew Danny was already fully aware, so he did his best to look as laid-back and non judgemental as he could for his best friend to continue. He didn’t know how good a job he was doing at not freaking out but it was enough to keep Danny talking at least.<br/><br/>“It was fine if I just blocked it out and didn’t think about it, but lately, especially with all that’s been happening, it’s hard <em>not </em>to think about it.” Tuck assumed ‘it’ referred to the crush, or perhaps all thoughts of Vlad himself. “Then yesterday, we talked and we were trying to plan how we would work out the whole feeding thing… I don’t know, after I had him all ‘under my spell’, I… He was just right there and not fighting or being a dick…” Danny stared at his palms pitifully.<br/><br/>Tucker nodded at nothing in particular, simply trying to wrap his head around his friend’s latest, admittedly odd infatuation. “He’s just… so <em>old</em>…” Tucker squinted, “I mean even if he wasn’t evil, it’s…”<br/><br/>“Oh really? I hadn’t noticed!” Danny’s hands shook between them like he was about to grab Tucker’s face or throttle him, maybe even throttle himself. <br/><br/>“Sorry, man, I just mean…” He winced, trying not to hurt Danny’s feelings but gave up. “It’s just so weird…”<br/><br/>“Who are you telling?” Danny folded his arms and collapsed forward onto them, burying his face in them to hide his shame. “I’m such a freak…” He said, muffled and miserable.<br/><br/>Tucker stared down at him for a little bit before the compulsion to laugh became too intense to resist. He fought off the urge as best he could but inevitably lost in the end, the rhythmic huffs of laughter through his nose making Danny’s head snap up and glare at him.<br/><br/>“I can totally see why you didn’t want Sam here.” And Danny snickered despite himself.<br/><br/>“I just thought... I dunno, it’s gonna be weird to tell her.”<br/><br/>“That you’re gay?”<br/><br/>Danny fixed him with a bewildered expression. “I’m not… I don’t think I'm…” He frowned. What was he? Could he really call himself anything definitively?<br/><br/>“Well, you’re definitely not straight, my guy.” Tucker casually reached for a few fries, fixing Danny with a matter-of-fact look as he stuffed them in his mouth.<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, “I… guess I’m not, huh?” He’d had so few legitimate crushes that he just couldn’t say for sure, he’d only ever been interested in three people and they were all female. His crush on Paulina had been pretty superficial, but he’d had real feelings for Sam and Val at one point.<br/><br/>But those seemed superficial as well now, compared to what he was feeling for Vlad.<br/><br/>Did that make him bisexual? Or did he just have something supremely peculiar with the other halfa?<br/><br/>Whatever, not-straight was good enough for him for now, he could unpack all that later maybe.<br/><br/>“So,” Tucker started, taking a large gulp from his soda. “What do you think is gonna be harder? Coming out as a ghost or coming out as a gay?”<br/><br/>Or, his best friend was going to make him unpack it now.<br/><br/>“Tucker!” Danny whisper-shouted, looking around despite knowing there was really no one about the dining area. <br/><br/>The techie shrugged, his attitude already returning to one of casual normalcy as he seemed to adapt to his friend’s latest crisis. “I think you should just knock it all out at once and come out as a gay ghost.”<br/><br/>Danny propped his elbows on the table and held up his face with both hands, unable to believe how fucked up his life was, and it just kept getting weirder.<br/><br/>“I knew I should have called Sam first.”<br/><br/>“Ah, but you didn’t. You called moi, and this is what you get for calling the smart friend and not the wise one.” <br/><br/>Danny huffed another laugh, this one humorless. “What am I gonna do, Tuck?” <br/><br/>“Well,” Tuck sang, head tilting sideways, “If it were me, I’d count all my lucky stars that Vlad has no recollection of your ‘transgressions’ and pretend it never happened and spend the rest of my life suppressing my gay ghost feelings for quite possibly the most dangerous individual we know…”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, “That was my plan anyway…”<br/><br/>“Buuuut,” Tucker sing-songed in a lower tone, as he gave Danny the gentlest look he could muster, “If I wanted better advice, I would also definitely talk to Sam and ask what she has to think about all this…” And now that chocolate face looked at him in pity, knowing the second option would be painfully uncomfortable for Danny. Hell, even for him since he would undoubtedly be there for that awkward conversation. “If you need direction, she’s the best bet. Always has been. Plus it’s not like I have the best track record when it comes to romance or relationships.”<br/><br/>Blue eyes bugged, “You think I want a <em>relationship</em> with Masters?” <br/><br/>Tucker gave him a flat look, “Why else would you lock lips with the dude?” Danny blushed furiously and he looked like he just swallowed a slug.<br/><br/>“I dunno? Horny teenage hormones?” He offered, but Tucker shook his head.<br/><br/>“Like I said when this all started, man. Y’all tethered.”<br/><br/>Danny buried his face in his arms once more, unsure that he’d ever find the courage to resurface and face the world again.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>“You did <em>what?!”</em> <br/><br/>Danny flinched at Sam’s booming voice and barely stopped himself from turning invisible. Maybe if he just sank through the floor…<br/><br/>“I cannot <em>believe</em> you would do something like that! I mean, yeah, fuck Vlad, but still!”<br/><br/>Tucker raised a hand, pointer finger outstretched, “I wouldn’t give him any ideas, Sam.”<br/><br/>The finger fell and joined the others in a fist, his hand eventually falling to his side when Sam redirected her furious glare to him. “I <em>know</em> you know that’s not what I meant.” Danny was blushing down to his neck now, but he was so happy that at least some of her outrage was aimed at someone besides him.<br/><br/>It was short lived. “What I mean is even if it’s someone like Vlad, you can’t abuse your powers like that Danny! It’s wrong!”<br/><br/>Danny’s hands moved in front of him as he talked, getting a little worked up at all the yelling. “He’s used his powers on me loads of times! Without any instigation from me at all! Just kicking my ass for his own entertainment!”<br/><br/>She put her hands on her hips, “So you want to be just like him? You have the power to do something so therefore you should?” She frowned harder, this one looking sad. “Besides, we aren’t talking about fighting, are we? You basically forced yourself on him.”<br/><br/>Danny threw his hands to the air in frustration. “No! I didn't- I didn’t <em>mean</em> to! I told you I didn’t plan on it when I went over there!”<br/><br/>She adjusted the hands on her hips and shifted, giving Danny a look that said she didn’t believe that for a second.<br/><br/>He sighed, “Okay, I <em>was</em> gonna test the hypnotism on him, but not like that! I didn’t expect it to… go down that route…” Danny could no longer meet her admonishing gaze. He looked to Tucker for help but the other male was doing everything he could to remain out of the conversation after his last failed quip. Sam had made it clear she wasn’t in the mood for jokes.<br/><br/>She sighed, almost feeling like a mother talking to her son. “That’s what's so slimy about it, Danny. It would be one thing if you pranked him or even beat him up, but doing that…” Her face was cast down too now, stuck between a wince and some form of disgust. “It’s just not cool. It’s not right.” She looked back up and he did the same. “At the risk of sounding like the mom-friend, I’m really disappointed. And surprised. I just… never saw you actually doing something like that…”<br/><br/>Danny leaned against her bed, sliding down until his butt met the carpet. “I didn’t <em>mean</em> to be slimy…” He really thought he might cry. He felt like such a jerk. A creeper. He remembered last year how disturbed he’d been when Tucker got that new app on his PDA and came over to see if there were any ghostly frequencies he could monitor and they instead found <em>dozens</em> of bugs in his and his parent’s room. All Vlad.<br/><br/>Danny wanted that to justify it. If Vlad can spy on him then Danny could hypnotize and kiss him. An eye for an eye. It was only fair.<br/><br/>But he knew it wasn’t, and Sam would only call him creepier if she heard his thoughts now.<br/><br/>It seemed like she could, because she didn’t let up. “But you <em>were</em> slimy, Danny. It’s almost like you drugged him and took advantage. It feels weird to say something like that about Plasmius, but that’s exactly what happened. It’s violating.”<br/><br/>Danny wanted to scoff, “Vlad isn’t some flowery victim-”<br/><br/>“Danny. Stop. Just stop.” His mouth snapped shut, ashamed. “Everyone deserves consent, you can’t just take that from someone, I don’t care who it is.” She ran her fingers through her hair, stopping at the half-ponytail and shaking her head. “I don’t even think <em>Vlad</em> would do something like… like <em>that</em>. You weren’t acting out of revenge or the heat of battle, just impulse. That’s not like you, and it isn’t who I <em>know</em> you are.” She sighed, falling into a purple bean bag chair. </p><p>“Where did it even come from? Sexual predator vibes aside for now, your target doesn’t really align with your 'typical proclivities'...” The discomfort at the question must have shown on his face because she straightened and attempted to correct herself.<br/><br/>“Not that there’s anything wrong with being attracted to another man, just… Why Vlad, Danny? It just seems… I don’t know!” And she was earnest, truly just not understanding and desperately wanting to because it just didn’t make any sense. <br/><br/>“I don’t know either…” He answered honestly, “I’d rather have a crush on Dash or something.” He shuddered at the thought, thoroughly repulsed. <br/><br/>“Ew.” Tucker shared the sentiment. <br/><br/>Sam pressed on, “Then what is it, Danny? I mean, I’ve kinda sensed a ‘thing’ for a long time, but I always thought it was more from him than you…” Danny hated the butterflies that came with the thought that Vlad might like him in that way. <br/><br/>“I mean it, guys. I really can’t pinpoint it to one thing. It’s a lot, and it doesn’t feel as ‘sudden’ or unexpected as you’d probably like...” He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them and placed his forehead on top to hide his face. “It could be ghost things, the way he talks, how strong he is…” Danny laughed and raised his head until he looked at the ceiling. “The guy is built like a Greek god, he always smells good, he’s knowledgeable about, like, everything.” <em> He’s handsome, he’s confident, his attention is always on </em> me <em> when we’re together. </em> <br/><br/>Danny realized with horror that he could quite literally go on for hours. <br/><br/>So did his friends. They looked at each other, then at Danny. “Damn, dude, you really <em> have </em> been ‘looking at him’...” Tucker mumbled. <br/><br/>“This sounds like more than a crush, Danny.” He stared at Sam in shock, mirroring her own expression. “I think you might really <em> like </em> him…” <br/><br/>He swallowed, dread washing over him, “Fuck, guys… <em> Fuck. </em> ” <br/><br/>“Language, Daniel!” Tucker mocked accordingly, getting a nervous, hesitant laugh from both Sam and Danny. They sat in contemplative silence for a moment, graciously allowing Danny time to think for a short while. <br/><br/>After a pause, Sam made a face like she was in mild pain before adding, “That really makes what you did even worse… Like, you don’t do things like that to anyone, but to do that to someone you might have actual feelings for is…” She couldn’t finish. <br/><br/>It was hard for Danny to listen to Sam say all of that to him. He really didn’t like disappointing people he cared about, but no one did. He didn’t feel so much guilt as he felt embarrassed and confused, exposed as some sort of deviant. <br/><br/>He felt bad that he didn’t feel as bad as he should, if that made sense. In fact, doing something like that again sounded like a very tempting idea… He felt like he was having someone else’s thoughts. What was wrong with taking what you want when the other was none the wiser? Especially when Vlad had spent their whole relationship trying to make Danny come to the dark side anyway. <br/><br/>The more he justified it, the worse he began to feel. This is something <em> Dan </em> would do. He’d take and take with no remorse or regard for any other party, and for a moment Danny wished he could tap into that indifference again, but he knew Sam was right. <br/><br/>And he was <em> wrong</em>. <br/><br/>Danny cautiously looked up at Sam, expecting her to be glaring at him like she could read his mind. Instead she was glaring at the floor pretty intensely, her knee bouncing in frustration. <br/><br/>Finally she blew up. “God, Danny! He’s just… such a bitch.” She exclaimed after a tense while. “Paulina, Valerie, Vlad! Why do you always like the bitchiest, most arrogant people!” She finally said, eyes wide with exasperation but she looked at neither of the other inhabitants of the room. He was just thankful that her focus had seemingly shifted away from his actual deeds. <br/><br/>“Um, I liked you?” He said jokingly. Danny chanced a look at Tucker but the other had brought a stiff hand to the side of his face to shield himself from the eye contact. Nope, he was not falling into that one. <br/><br/>Sam’s head whipped over to Danny with a threatening gleam in her stare. Danny flinched and brought a hand to his mouth, realizing too late that he’d inadvertently called Sam a bitch. Tucker also brought his hand to his mouth, but only to hide his laughter. <br/><br/>“You done messed up, bud.” He said mournfully, “Prepare to die. Again.” <br/><br/>Danny let out a surprising bark of laughter, followed by significantly quieter chuckles that were soon accompanied by Tucker’s. She glared at him harder but couldn’t fight the smirk making its way onto her face. Just because she was disappointed in him didn’t mean she didn’t love him. They were still friends, he still made her smile. She sighed, shaking her head as most of her anger slipped away. </p><p>“Honestly, I <em> should </em> kick your ass. For what you did <em> and </em> your complicated, confusingly diverse taste in romantic interests…” She offered a wry smile. <br/><br/>Danny smiled apologetically but it eventually faded to a look of confused hopelessness. He looked like a kicked puppy to Sam. <br/><br/>“How… What should I do about this?” Danny’s morning-sky blue eyes were aimed desperately at her lavender ones and she honestly felt bad for the poor boy. <br/><br/>“You obviously really have a thing for him, Danny...” She didn’t have to say she was a little jealous, everyone present knew she was thinking it. Tucker offered a sympathetic look that she discreetly acknowledged. Danny tried not to notice it, looking at the ground when her eyes returned to him. “You have to ask yourself what you want out of it, and what could possibly come out of it instead.” <br/><br/>Danny bit his lip nervously. He’d never outright asked himself those questions. They were too straight forward, they would force him to pick a direction and take action. More often than not he pushed the hard thoughts far away, never really fleshing them out or dealing with them until he felt ready- but he never felt ready. He didn’t think he ever would be ready for some of those thoughts. <br/><br/>Sam and Tucker could practically see the smooth gears of Danny’s mind beginning to grind the longer he was left to ponder Sam’s words. She leaned forward, “You should also probably ask yourself what <em> exactly </em> it is that you’re afraid of.” <br/><br/>That brought his attention back, “Uh, it’s <em> Vlad</em>,” he said in the sassiest tone she’d heard from him yet. “What’s not to be afraid of?” <br/><br/>She shrugged, holding her shoulders high for a few seconds, “Eh, that’s a good point to some extent, but the truth is that we’ve foiled Vlad too many times to count. Even when he’s <em> serious </em> we make it out okay in the end.” <br/><br/>“Plus,” Tucker piped in, “He can’t kill you without killing himself in the long run now.” <br/><br/>Danny curled up again, hiding his face in his knees. “It’s not that I’m afraid he’ll kill me…” <br/><br/>“Just hurt you.” Sam finished for him. His shoulders shrugged minutely. She sighed, “Danny, it’s Vlad. Any kind of relationship with him is going to hurt. Whether you decide to pursue him ‘romantically’ or not, you’re eventually going to have to come clean about what you did.” <br/><br/>Danny’s face morphed into terror, “He’ll <em> kill </em> me!” <br/><br/>Tucker waved his hand flippantly, his other playing on his phone distractedly, “Ah, no he won’t. Freak out and rage quit what awkward relationship you currently have? Sure, maybe. Kill you? Doubt it. At this point I doubt he could take you down anyway with all your training. Then there’s the hypnotism, now.” Tucker shrugged, only glancing up from his phone when he finished speaking. </p><p>Sam threw a shoe at Tucker, glaring. “But only use it in battle.” She reprised. “And Danny, when you do eventually tell him, you’re going to have to apologize- doesn’t matter if you want his forgiveness or not, he deserves at least an apology. <em> Especially </em> if you’re planning on instigating something other than battle…” <br/><br/>Danny shook his head, bringing his hands to his face when he felt it begin to heat.<br/><br/>Tucker put down his phone and slapped his hands onto his thighs dramatically. “Well, sounds a little bit like a terrible pursuit, and I’m quite familiar with those. If you decide to go for it then I’m here to provide reverse wisdom and more bad ideas.” <br/><br/>Danny unfolded, sitting up and throwing his head back as he sighed. He knew Tuck was just being funny, and he was totally right, but Danny didn’t think this crush would fade just because it was a ‘bad idea’. Otherwise it would have been gone a long time ago. <br/><br/>“So? What’s your plan?” Tuck asked, that look of sympathy aimed at Danny now. <br/><br/>Danny blinked up at the ceiling. “I… I don’t have one. I don’t want to have a plan, then it could go wrong.” He looked back down to face his friends, “Let’s just… see what happens.” <br/><br/>They stared at him for what had to be a full minute before sharing another telepathic look. Sam sighed. <br/><br/>“That’s… probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” <br/><br/>Tucker snorted but nodded in agreement. “Yeah man, that’s what people say right before something terrible happens.” <br/><br/>Danny groaned, “Well then what should I <em> do </em> ?!” <br/><br/>Sam shakes her head and shrugs. “You’re an adult now, Danny.” He sure didn’t feel like one, especially right now. He wished someone would just move him into the right direction and push him down whatever path. He felt so lost lately. <br/><br/>Sam eyed him forlornly, “Look, no one can tell you what to do, but <em> I </em> think that if you get involved with Vlad any deeper than you have to, you might be setting yourself up for a devastating failure…” <br/><br/>“But we’ll be here for you,” Tucker interjected abruptly, trying desperately to keep things from getting too dark, “Whatever you decide to do in the end. We’ll come save you if he tries to take you away or something.” The boy winked. <br/><br/>“Yeah, I <em> suppose </em> we’ll come to your rescue.” Sam grumbled good-naturedly, rolling her eyes. <br/><br/>Danny smiled at his friends ever thankfully. “I greatly appreciate that.” Danny stretched his legs and heaved a satisfying sigh. He felt like a bit of the weight had been lifted from his chest and he could breathe again. “Well, as normal as <em> that </em> conversation was, I’m really tired of thinking about Plasmius…” <br/><br/>Tucker pulled his laptop out of his tech backpack, “Y’all wanna play something? I know how much you love ignoring your problems.” <br/><br/>Sam grinned, sending a devious look to her boys. “Doom?” <br/><br/>Danny and Tucker returned her evil smile with more determined variants, “Doom.” They repeated simultaneously. <br/><br/>- <br/><br/>Danny flew home that evening with a grin on his face. He’d finally been able to get all of that Vlad business off his mind for awhile, and he was so happy to finally be able to talk to someone about it, especially after what he’d done… He hadn’t realized the weight of his actions before, but working through it with his friends made him much more aware. <br/><br/>He blenched, phasing through the window into his room before he flashed himself human again. <br/><br/>Danny could already smell dinner being made and his stomach growled in anticipation. Usually him and his parents ate at different times. They often stayed up late in the lab, so even if they made something to eat, it was usually taken downstairs with them or left on the stovetop, cold by the time any of them got around to eating it. Danny patrolled late too, sometimes coming home in the middle of the night and throwing something in the microwave. If it disturbed his parents' sleep at all they’d never said anything. <br/><br/>The fact that it was only five thirty and they were eating was a pleasant surprise. It was likely because Jazz was home. She’d always been the one to force family meals. After she left home the rule had died off pretty quickly, but his parents seemed to be reviving it at least while she was visiting. <br/><br/>Danny was kind of excited. He’d missed Jazz, and everyone sitting at the table to eat sounded like just the environment he needed to keep his mind off of ghosts and certain evil half-ghosts. He walked out into the hall and down the stairs, halting at the end when a mist escaped his lips. <br/><br/>“Danny!” His dad bellowed joyously, effectively distracting him before the man paused, looking at the front door between them. “When did you get back? I didn’t see you come in.” He frowned curiously. <br/><br/>Danny tilted his head, “I-I walked through the front door, what do you mean?” He was sweating. <br/><br/>“Huh.” Jack scratched his head. “I’ve been in here the whole time.” He stared at Danny hard. <br/><br/>This was it. They knew. They figured it out. He’d been caught. <br/><br/>“Oh well!” His dad shrugged jovially, turning back to the TV to watch some football game of all things. <br/><br/>Danny breathed a relieved sigh, walking over to join his dad and see the score. <br/><br/>“Who’s winning?” <br/><br/>To his absolute horror, a smooth voice echoed from the entrance of the kitchen. “The Packers, of course.” <br/><br/>He turned to see Vlad Masters standing there in a light grey button up and slacks, which was basically casual wear for him. He was leaning against the frame of the entrance, looking a bit too comfortable in the Fenton’s home. <br/><br/>And his hair was down. It was parted off to the side neatly, almost too deliberately. Danny expected that smug look the man always wore but was instead met with an intense stare that shattered his plans of banning horny thoughts of the older man for the evening. <br/><br/>“Good evening, Daniel. It’s good to see you again after <em> so </em> long.” <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AHAHAHHAA sorry Danny.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad is mad. Again. For good reason this time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Dannypocalypse, Bitches</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p><p>“H-hey, what are you doing here, Uncle Vlad?” A wave of nausea passed over him as he called Vlad ‘uncle’. Curiously, he thought he saw the other man’s cheeks pinken…<br/><br/>“I called him after we saw him on the news! We chatted and he actually agreed to come over!” His dad boomed excitedly. Jack walked over and patted Vlad harshly on the back. Danny watched Vlad pitch forward a bit too dramatically and he could tell that some of the movement was deliberate, exaggerated. Since when could Danny read the man so well?<br/><br/>At the glare he received, Jack apologetically rubbed his old friend’s shoulder. “Sorry, V-man. We’re glad you’ve recovered, it’s good to have you back.” They turned and walked into the kitchen and Danny followed to eavesdrop under the guise of helping his mother finish up dinner and make plates.<br/><br/>“So did they ever figure out what was wrong?” That’s right, Vlad had told the public he’d been ill.<br/><br/>He heard Vlad pause, not having expected the question. Danny glanced back and found Vlad looking at him as well. Vlad smirked upon eye contact, immediately coming up with something on the spot.<br/><br/>“Would you believe I have myself a parasite?” And he flashed Danny a meaningful look. Danny gave an affronted snort but continued to distribute food onto the plates while his mother poured drinks. Vlad had the nerve to call <em> him </em> a parasite? What a joke.<br/><br/>“Wow, Vladdy… A parasite, huh?” Jack took the champagne his wife handed him with a small smile, taking the other from her hand and passing it to Vlad. “Do they give you antibiotics for something like that, or…?”<br/><br/>He watched as Vlad smirked and eyed him over the glass as he took a delicate sip. “I’m still currently receiving treatments.” And Danny choked.<br/><br/>Yeah, if you call drinking his ghost blood a treatment...<br/><br/>“How much mashed potatoes do you think Vlad really needs, honey?” He blinked back to his task at the sound of his mother’s amused voice. Danny hadn’t noticed he’d just been absently and continuously spooning food onto the plate. Next to the man’s cut of steak and his small serving of peas and carrots was a large heap of potatoes overtaking both portions. He blushed and began scooping some of it back with the rest.<br/><br/>She laughed and squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks for helping, dear. Go get your sister for us and we can start eating.” He nodded in a jerky fashion, valiantly ignoring Vlad’s gaze as he walked by the man. There was something else there this time. It wasn’t anger, he wasn’t teasing or taunting Danny per say. He could be hiding something, but Vlad was always hiding something, so it was really hard to tell.<br/><br/>He had a dark feeling pooling in his gut. Dread again, maybe. He pushed it away, trying to mentally stuff it deep down as he bound up the stairs to his sister’s room. After talking with his friends he was becoming increasingly aware of his proclivity for suppressing his more complicated thoughts and emotions, but at this point he didn’t know how else to deal with them.<br/><br/>He phased his head through Jazz’s bedroom door and found her reading on her bed. Naturally.<br/><br/>“Hey, Ugly, dinner’s ready.” She looked up and giggled at the ‘nickname’, closing her book.<br/><br/>“Thanks,” her thin auburn eyebrow arched. “So, what do you think Vlad is up to? Mom and Dad were saying they hadn’t seen or heard from him in months, then he just answers the phone out of nowhere and comes to dinner?”<br/><br/>Danny winced, phasing the rest of the way into her room. “I mean, it could only be something to do with me or mom,” He frowned in thought, “or ghost things…”<br/><br/>Jazz looked deep in thought, “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him. I have a vague idea, maybe, but it’s purely speculation.” She stood and grabbed his arm, pulling him down the hall before he could ask. “Let’s get this dinner over with, then we can talk.”<br/><br/>He allowed himself to be dragged off with a frown. Jazz had been studying psychology long before she started going to school for it. If anyone could figure Vlad out, it was his sister. That also meant she could figure him out, probably way easier. It was both comforting and unsettling. Maybe telling her about what was going on would be more beneficial to the situation than painfully awkward.<br/><br/>But it would definitely still be painfully awkward.<br/><br/>“Oh, look who decided to finally come down! Say hi to your uncle Vlad, Jazzy pants!” Jack was the only one who’s body language resembled ease. Maddie sat next to Vlad but she was remarkably tense despite their seemingly amicable conversation, as if she didn't know how to feel about it. Jazz only waved, pushing a fake smile to her face that Vlad returned with the feigned grace of a true politician.<br/><br/>Danny was caught in the middle, strangely feeling both on edge and oddly pleased with Vlad’s presence. He chalked it up to them being ‘synced’, and all the time they’d spent together. And maybe the giant crush he had on him. He sat down across from Vlad, looking up to see the man giving him a hard look for a moment before responding to something his mom asked. Danny couldn’t hear any of it.<br/><br/>That dreadful, foreboding sensation was back, like a rock in his gut. He had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t tell if it was anxiety or just guilt from what he’d done. Looking at Vlad now made him feel terrible, and all of Sam’s words echoed loudly in his head. His eyes tracked Vlad’s hand as the man pushed some of his loose silver hair behind his ear.<br/><br/>God, what had he been thinking? He hadn’t. He let his other head call all the shots and now he felt like a dirty molester. Even Vlad had never used his powers on Danny’s mom to make her bend to his will, and he very well could have. Danny Phantom had crossed a line that Plasmius wouldn’t even approach.<br/><br/>He physically felt a depression envelope his very being. If he wasn’t already dead he’d want to die. He was <em> half </em> dead, maybe he should finish the job…<br/><br/>“...nny? Danny?”<br/><br/>“Daniel.” That silky voice was firm, easily bringing him out of the spiral and he met piercing dark blue eyes that regarded him with <em> barely </em> concealed disdain. Vlad hadn’t looked at him like that in a long time. Danny looked around to see every face at the table angled at him.<br/><br/>Jazz broke the tension with a forced laugh, “Jeez, space cadet, mom was asking if any schools have gotten back to you yet.” Her wide eyes prompted him to act normal, to lie.<br/><br/>He didn’t feel like it. “No.” he said simply.<br/><br/>“Nothing yet?” Jazz supplied, giving him that look again. “You did wait awhile to send your applications, little brother.” She laughed nervously.<br/><br/>“Yeah, right…” He said quietly.<br/><br/>“Don’t worry, Daniel,” Vlad said, eyes focused on his steak as he cut it daintily, “Madison can take awhile depending on which field of study you apply for.”<br/><br/>His parents gasped, Maddie leaning over the table. “You applied to Madison? Oh Danny, that’s wonderful! They’ll definitely take you!” His mother giggled excitedly.<br/><br/>“They took your father after all…” He heard Vlad mumble under his breath, shoving the small bite of steak into his mouth and chewing innocently. Jack let out a loud ‘Ha!’, unaffected by the jab. He beamed in pride, happy his son would even apply to his old school.<br/><br/>Danny daftly opened and shut his mouth over and over like a fish, having no idea what to say. He couldn’t believe Vlad would put him on the spot like that in front of his parents!<br/><br/>Well, he actually could believe that...<br/><br/>Vlad pretended to look embarrassed for him, “Oh, drats! I’m sorry Daniel, was that supposed to be a surprise? I’m so terrible with secrets, you know…” The bastard was smirking around his fork.<br/><br/>Danny grit his teeth, glaring. “I was going to wait for their response before I said anything. I didn’t want to get mom and dad’s hopes up if I didn’t get in…” He grumbled, going along with the charade. He really should have Vlad tutor him in deception as well, the man was too damn good at lying, even on the fly.<br/><br/>“Oh, I’m sure you’ll get in, Little Badger. Don’t you worry.”<br/><br/>Maddie sent Vlad a dry smirk, “If you have anything to do with it then I’m sure he will too.” She said teasingly, not putting bribery past Vlad at all. She playfully pushed his forearm as she sipped her champagne. Danny’s jaw dropped, staring in disbelief even when his mother removed her hand from Vlad’s person. What the hell was that? Did she think she could <em> flirt </em> him into college?<br/><br/>Jazz watched the exchange with interest, also mildly disturbed by the scene, but knowing that her mother meant it quite innocently. She wasn’t nearly as bemused by the gesture as Vlad and Danny clearly appeared. She could practically see all of Danny’s reactions circling his head all too obviously, to her at least. What really intrigued her though was Vlad’s confusion. It was much more subdued and was concealed behind an almost too-disinterested expression.<br/><br/>He stared blankly at his arm, right where her mother’s hand had been. The fact that he wasn’t swooning wasn’t lost to any of them, aside from her parents. Jack and Maddie were off in their own world for the moment, talking about how excited they were that Danny would be following in their footsteps, but everyone else in the room silently ruminated on the simple touch. The dissociated look in Vlad’s eye was almost sad, seemingly troubled by his own lack of reaction. His confusion wasn’t as animated as Danny’s, but it was still clear as day to her. Vlad was a walking case study, as her professors would say.<br/><br/>She and Danny unknowingly shared a frown as they watched him down his glass of champagne before glancing at Danny with an unsure expression. He looked uncomfortable on so many levels.<br/><br/>After that little speed bump the rest of the dinner went along smoothly enough, Jazz joining the adult discussion after realizing that Danny wasn’t going to talk at all. He seemed lost in his own thoughts so she picked up his slack and kept her parents and Vlad entertained with stories about college and living with her pretentious roommates. Vlad looked completely at ease after a while, having recovered from the earlier incident and putting on that ‘Masters Charm’ as he told stories of his own now and then.<br/><br/>It was obviously an act.<br/><br/>Danny couldn’t stop looking at him. He was so lost, unable to believe he’d basically gotten jealous of his mom for a second. That, plus the weird angst he felt left him unable to attempt to speak up or join the conversation. Luckily his parents didn’t really notice. As usual.<br/><br/>He wasn’t used to Vlad’s strange attitude. It was like the man was actively trying not to look at him. He’d even angled his chair toward Danny’s parents, now engaged in some debate with his father. Maddie sighed in exasperation and finally brought Danny into the discussion.<br/><br/>“This must be how Sam feels, huh?” Both men paused, glancing at Maddie before following her gaze to Danny.<br/><br/>He swallowed, not expecting to be included, “What do you mean?” He kind of followed her logic. She’d dealt with the antics of her two guy friends on the regular just like Sam, though Maddie had married one of hers.<br/><br/>“Does she ever have to referee you and Tucker? Hold you boys back?” She asked with an amused, lightly teasing smile.<br/><br/>Danny scoffed, “Please, Tucker isn’t as mean as Vlad, Sam doesn’t have to really step between us for anything.” It was true, they were never as harsh or biting when they argued or disagreed. Tucker always remained light-hearted and open.<br/><br/>“Who said Tucker was the ‘Vlad’ of your little trio?” The older halfa said with a smirk.<br/><br/>Danny blanched. Oh god, Vlad was right. If anything Tucker was the Jack and <em> he </em> was the Vlad of their group, especially with his recent behavior.<br/><br/>The adults all laughed at his expression of horror, even Jazz chuckled a bit despite knowing how the comment must have hit him.<br/><br/>Jack slapped a hand onto the table, “You’re totally right! Man, it’s like you’re his real blood uncle sometimes.” He jerked his thumb at Danny and brought his other hand to his mouth in a stage whisper. “This one gets a little moody. It’s all too familiar.” And this time only Danny’s parents laughed, Vlad’s tittering sounding painfully forced.<br/><br/>Those eyes piercing looked across the table at him, “Don’t worry, Daniel. There’s no one quite like your uncle Vlad. You don’t even come close.” And it was clearly supposed to be an insult to rile him but he couldn’t really focus on that.<br/><br/>Danny thought he could actually gag at the word uncle. As if he wasn’t already ashamed of himself enough. Vlad obviously thought of him like a child, his bratty nephew. Even if Danny came out with his inappropriate feelings it wasn’t like anything good would come from them, just like Sam said. Vlad would probably ridicule him mercilessly or even suggest therapy.<br/><br/>But he’d been <em> so </em> sure he’d seen something in Vlad’s eyes last night. They <em> had </em> been under the influence of ‘core stimulation’... Maybe he’d imagined it.<br/><br/>“Yeah, you’re a unique one…” He said in response. “Definitely one of a kind.”<br/><br/>Jazz stifled a laugh at both the insult and inside joke. Vlad scowled, sticking up his nose and continuing his debate with Jack.<br/><br/>Vlad <em> was </em> unique, though. He’d never met anyone so frustratingly similar to him yet so different. It was the dichotomy of the man that was most alluring. So put together but so very broken, it seemed. He appeared to be pretty aware of his personality flaws but he still fell victim to his own shortcomings, like they snuck up on him or something.<br/><br/>Danny was glad they weren’t technically enemies anymore. Most in the Ghost Zone feared Plasmius and stayed away, others thought of him as a giant pest, but everyone was silently aware that Vlad held the destructive qualities of a nuclear bomb. He would make an amazing ally, eventually, but even that word still seemed too strong for their… relationship.<br/><br/>And with the weird vibes Vlad was putting out lately, he wasn’t sure what to call their tentative truce.<br/><br/>Jazz had collected the empty plates and put them in the sink long ago, and now he was just sitting there, feeling like a kid at the grownup’s table as they drank and talked. His sister watched him carefully as he pushed out his seat and stood.<br/><br/>“Bathroom.” He explained. She nodded and returned to listening to their parents talk with his… whatever Vlad was.<br/><br/>Danny went to the upstairs bathroom, craving distance. He didn’t actually have to go, but splashing some water on his face seemed like a good idea. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and sighed at the exhausted visage. He seriously needed more sleep, if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by. They reminded him of Dan’s.<br/><br/>Danny looked away, turning on the faucet and making sure it was ice cold before closing his eyes and wetting his face with the frigid water. He dried his face with the hand towel, still avoiding his reflection as he turned off the light and walked out into the hall.<br/><br/>Right at the stairs stood Vlad, arms folded as he leaned against where the railing started, obviously waiting for Danny to come out. Why was there always someone waiting for him after the bathroom?<br/><br/>“Come to get rid of your parasite?” He asked coldly, nervous but not in the mood to deal with Vlad one on one right now.<br/><br/>One of Vlad’s hands gracefully flicked his hair over his shoulder, momentarily gutting Danny all over again with how nice it looked down, “I’d like to say our relationship is more symbiotic but that wouldn’t be all that correct anymore, would it?” His tone was devoid of the usual amusement that accompanied their banter.<br/><br/>Danny narrowed his eyes, “What?” His voice was harsh, reflecting both confusion and mistrust.<br/><br/>Vlad looked at him with a stony expression and he felt that dread wash over him again. Something was definitely up. He fought the urge to back away as Vlad stepped forward threateningly, shoulders tense with what looked like barely restrained fury.<br/><br/>“Don’t ‘what’ me, you little rat. I told you playing dumb wasn’t a good look, and quite honestly you aren’t very good at it.” His voice held no teasing tone or indication that he was trying to goad a response. Danny couldn’t remember ever seeing Vlad <em> this </em> angry.<br/><br/>He had a horrifying thought. No, no way he remembered.<br/><br/>“I don’t-” But he couldn’t even get it out before one of Vlad’s feet stomped out in front of him, his arm gesturing wildly.<br/><br/>Vlad lowered his voice to a frighteningly harsh whisper. “Daniel, I had cameras in this very house for three damned years! You didn’t think I might have them in my own <em> fucking lab?! </em> ”<br/><br/>All of the color drained from Danny’s face as his stomach dropped and he fought to remain tangible. Vlad was positively fuming. Danny had never heard him curse so blatantly, and it would have been kind of hot if he weren’t so mortified in that moment. His mouth hung open but no sound came out. He couldn’t even move.<br/><br/>Vlad watched the boy freeze up with shaking hands, holding onto the rage he’d felt all day since seeing the tape. The gap in his memory had plagued him after last night. After some admittedly good sleep he had woken at around five in the morning and just laid there and stewed. He could feel Daniel’s presence fade as the boy left his home some time around eight. Once he knew he was home alone he went down to the lab, as if to retrace his steps.<br/><br/>He’d stood in the same spot he’d been in yesterday when Daniel was wrapped around him, but nothing was triggered in his mind, much to his disappointment. Tonight was the night he’d agreed to join the Fentons for dinner, but first he wanted to see Ghostwriter to dig up more information on ghost venom. His hypotheses had all been pretty spot on, but he craved the validation of historical source material backing him up, ever the scholar.<br/><br/>Vlad was about to grab his book and walk into the Ghost Zone when a new thought appeared innocently in his mind. He could always just check the cameras. It wouldn’t really give him much insight as to why or how the venom had affected his memory, but he could at least know what had happened in that short span of time.<br/><br/>He went to his computer and opened surveillance, fast forwarding through most of their interaction. It made him cringe when he saw his uncomfortable response to Daniel’s insistent nearness, but he watched on, somewhat mirthful with how Danny eyed him none too innocently. He thought about flirting with the boy over dinner tonight just to tease him, make him sputter and see his face turn red in front of his family. Did Danny really fancy him that much? Foolish hormones...</p><p>The thought faded and his smile fell upon hearing a strange, foreign sound almost seep from the speaker.<br/><br/>Vlad turned it up, leaning his ear closer and watching the screen, the eerie whispering hum turning to static. He watched himself step in front of Daniel and after a moment Daniel opened his mouth and the odd sound returned. Vlad watched himself run a hand through his ghostly hair and he suddenly remembered last night in the library, how he’d been unable to recall letting it down. He pressed rewind a little too aggressively.<br/><br/>Vlad focused on the sound instead of the screen but remained unable to decipher it. He frowned, then quickly brightened as an idea occurred to him. He opened settings and began playing with the sound, trying to listen on different channels to see if any of them made it understandable. Any ‘ghost buster’ worth their salt was familiar with the different radio frequencies used to hear the dead, it was basic paranormal knowledge. When he found the one he could actually hear in human form he sat back and restarted the video to watch it in full, now able to register actual words from the staticy audio.<br/><br/>As it progressed, Vlad felt his heart drop with each passing second.<br/><br/><em> “Come stand right here.” </em> Daniel commanded, and Vlad did. He didn’t remember doing that.<br/><br/><em> “Let your hair down.” </em> The boy said with some amusement, and Vlad shakily watched as he again did what he was told.<br/><br/><em> “Closer.” </em> Daniel’s voice echoed, sounding like other voices were joining his. He’d never seen that ability before…<br/><br/>Vlad began to feel nauseous, his body tensing in some unnameable emotion as he watched himself press indecently close to the younger man. He pressed his fist to his mouth as Daniel's legs spread provocatively and to his credit, seemed to hesitate for the briefest moment, as if unsure of himself.<br/><br/>But only for a moment.<br/><br/>Daniel’s hand gripped his cape and pulled him down.<br/><br/><em> “Kiss me.” </em> Vlad heard him say, and he watched in horror as he obliged. He turned his head down when their lips met, averting his eyes only briefly before they flashed back up to the monitor in shock, unable to look away. He couldn’t believe it. For a moment he just stared with wide eyes.<br/><br/><em> “Bite me.” </em> Daniel said, and Vlad slapped his hand over his mouth. He witnessed himself do just that, burying his face intimately into the young man’s neck, and he slammed his laptop closed when he saw Daniel’s legs wrap around him.<br/><br/>He’d spent the rest of the day pacing around his home in anticipation of the evening’s dinner.<br/><br/>The boy standing in front of him currently seemed like an entirely different person. Small, scared, unsure. It was nothing like how he’d been when he was bending Vlad to his will.<br/><br/>“So you have nothing to say for yourself then?” He questioned vehemently. Vlad felt the air around him heat up and he took a deep breath to calm his core. He couldn’t let his emotions get too out of control despite the high strung atmosphere, lest he burn down the Fentons’ home. Daniel himself remained frozen, likely cold to the touch as well, if Vlad dared to touch that is.<br/><br/>He didn’t. He stayed a good distance from the boy. For the first time in what felt like years Vlad felt genuine fear. He didn’t think Danny would hurt him, that was obviously not the boy’s intent at all considering the video evidence, but he didn’t know how close he needed to be for Danny to use that power on him again.<br/><br/>Did distance even matter? Was it eye contact, or just the ghostly command of his voice that could trap him?<br/><br/>No, he wasn’t afraid of death or torture, especially if he wouldn’t remember it. What Vlad feared was the control Daniel had over him. When they’re whole feeding situation started, he’d been so afraid of Daniel seeing into his core- his thoughts, obsessions, and issues all being laid out and exposed for the other halfa to see and use against him. He’d thought that Daniel’s recklessness or his angsty teenage emotion would weasel its way into Vlad’s consciousness and disrupt him, make him weak.<br/><br/>Now there was no point to those fears. Daniel could do whatever he wanted.<br/><br/>The fact that Daniel <em> did </em> was just so out of character.<br/><br/>“Vlad… I’m…” Vlad watched the boy quiver, an icy cold mist appearing as he spoke that likely had little to do with a ghostly presence.<br/><br/>“Pull yourself together before you freeze us all to death.” He barked, and Danny’s mouth snapped shut. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose and shakily exhaled, breath still visible. Vlad didn’t need Daniel’s core reacting to whatever emotional state the boy was in, especially with overzealous ghost hunters in the house.<br/><br/>When Danny’s eyes opened he looked legitimately remorseful, but it did nothing to relieve Vlad’s apprehensive unease. “Vlad, I’m really so sorry. Truly sorry. I… should never have done that- I never thought I would!” He cast down his gaze and brought a hand to his forehead, pushing messy black bangs out of his face in distress.<br/><br/>“It… I didn’t feel like… I don’t even know where it came from.”<br/><br/>Vlad scoffed, “We both know where the idea came from…” He grumbled suggestively, eyeing Danny up and down.<br/><br/>Danny blushed but pressed on, “No, I mean... It was wrong to abuse my new power like that. I never thought I would do something so manipulative or twisted…” He chanced a glance and a wry smirk, “If anything, it seemed like something <em> you </em> might do…”<br/><br/>Vlad placed a hand to his chest, insulted. “I would never force my sexual desires on-”<br/><br/>“No! That’s not what I meant!” Danny blurted apologetically, “I just mean that you’ve used your powers on people before… <em> That </em> seems like something you’d do. Because you have.”<br/><br/>Vlad opened his mouth to snap at him again but only growled. The boy was right, in that respect. He took in the youth’s expression, the sincerity and pain he saw there was gut-wrenching. It seemed as though Daniel meant what he said, that he was sorry and regretted what he’d done.<br/><br/>Vlad almost… wanted to forgive him?<br/><br/>But he found that he was still so <em> livid</em>. He clung to that feeling and let it burn up any shred of ‘forgiving’ thoughts. Plasmius lived for revenge, not forgiveness. He spoke through clenched teeth, “I would never do what you did.” His hands curled into fists.  “<em>That </em> was-.” Wrong. He realized he was about to say ‘wrong’.<br/><br/>Him. Vlad Masters. Vlad Plasmius.<br/><br/>Vlad’s brows furrowed and his face froze into a deeply angry, thoughtful face. One of his fists relaxed as he brought a hand to where his core would be in his ghost form. Vlad pondered when he’d <em> ever </em> cared about right and wrong. His whole life he’d done what was best for him and him alone, with zero regard for anyone else. He’d murdered people and ghosts alike, tortured them, stolen from them. He’d done everything it took to get to the top, and now he was concerned over whether or not something that had occurred was ‘ <em> wrong </em> ’? Was he upset that Daniel had wronged <em> him, </em> or was it the injustice of it overall?<br/><br/>It couldn’t be the latter.<br/><br/>Vlad loved injustice. He <em> was </em> injustice.<br/><br/>There it was, that past-tense again. He <em> used </em> to be in love with Madeleine. He <em> used </em> to wish the other halfa would act in his own self interest.</p><p>He <em> used </em> to wish for the day that Daniel would realize those with power get to take what they want.<br/><br/>Now that it was happening it felt <em> wrong</em>. It was completely out of his control and he couldn’t pinpoint when it had so abruptly changed. Vlad Masters never second guessed himself, he didn’t let things like ‘right and wrong’ slow him down. Not ever.<br/><br/>Danny’s voice distracted him as it quietly squeaked and he took a step forward, reaching out, “Vlad, I mean it. I’m so sorry-”<br/><br/>Vlad immediately backed up until they were several feet apart once more. “Shut up!” He growled, face looking even angrier now as he tried to return to that tangent and reboard his previous train of thought. He’d been on to something…<br/><br/>“Guys? Is everything alright?” They both jumped and looked to see Jazz staring up at them from halfway up the steps, not approaching any further with Vlad so visibly tense and standing near the stair’s threshold. Whatever was happening, she didn’t want to risk getting too close right now.<br/><br/>The silence was nerve-racking and she mentally prepared to fight Plasmius with her brother if need be. She didn’t know what she’d be able to do, but she was ready to do it if the man tried anything. Vlad stared at her with frighteningly cold eyes that she could see absolutely nothing in. It was both heart-breaking and petrifying.<br/><br/>He glared once more at Danny, folding his arms as he looked away from her. “Jasmine, please inform your parents that I’m leaving for the night.”<br/><br/>She nodded hesitantly, “What should I tell them?”<br/><br/>He rolled his eyes, his head following the movement dramatically to fix her with a vicious sneer. “I don’t know, you’re a smart girl. Tell them I turned into a ghost and flew away.” And with that he promptly sank through the floor, leaving the siblings to stare wide-eyed at the spot in which he’d stood. Jazz walked the rest of the way up the stairs. “Dad wasn’t lying about the moody thing.” She looked to her brother curiously. “What was that all about?”<br/><br/>Danny shook his head miserably, resigned. “Come to my room after mom and dad go to bed and we can talk…” and he closed his eyes as he turned and trudged his way down the hall and into his bedroom, shutting the door almost too softly. Jazz stared at the door for maybe half a second before she immediately returned downstairs and told her parents that Vlad was called away on business. She didn’t bother staying to hear them ask questions and mope about it. Something was wrong with Danny, she could feel it, and she had to help him.<br/><br/>She wasn’t going to wait for their parents to go to sleep, either, already knocking lightly on his bedroom door. “Hey, can I come in?” She waited, barely holding herself back from barging in regardless of the answer.<br/><br/>She heard a shuffle and a light sigh, “Yeah, come on in.” He was sitting on the bed as she opened the door, gesturing to the spot next to him with one hand and gripping his pillow in the other. “Mom and Dad won’t bother us, and this doesn’t seem like it can wait…” She said softly. Danny brought the pillow into his lap and hugged it self consciously as she sat down. He looked so sad, and she couldn’t help but wonder what Vlad could have said or done to her little brother.<br/><br/>“Alright, what’s going on with you and Plasmius?” The pained expression that took over his face told her she was on the right track. Danny clutched the pillow tighter to his chest as he quietly and dejectedly began to tell her about the happenings of the last several months, catching her up on his recent… developments, thankful to just be completely honest and open about everything he’d been thinking and feeling and <em> avoiding</em>. Everything except for what had happened last night. He’d get to that later…<br/><br/>For now Jazz seemed to really be stuck on Clockwork’s involvement. “Why… would he interfere in this? What does he gain by messing with this timeline?”<br/><br/>Danny gawped at her. “Um, I just told you I’m a ghost vampire and I have a big gay crush on Plasmius, and all you can think about is what C-dub’s thinking? Newsflash: Nobody Knows!” She snorted at Danny’s dramatic sass but remained thoughtful.<br/><br/>“And that doesn’t bother you? He’s basically a god of time. You’re special, Danny, but why is a being like him so interested in what you do? Or even in what Vlad does?”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, not having delved very far into that himself, “I… don’t really know. He’s become like a mentor, randomly popping up every now and then. Sometimes it’s with a task or a lesson, sometimes just to say hi or tell me a story or something. It doesn’t seem important at the time, but later on stuff clicks and I realize why he said what he said or why he warned me about something or other.” Danny rubbed his hands on his pants. “The guy knows about everything before it even happens, so naturally he’s a little hard to read, Jazz.”<br/><br/>She hummed, seemingly still thinking. Danny shrugged, “As for why he cares about Vlad, well, the guy was going to mess up the timeline with the time machine he was trying to build. Vlad and time travel don’t mix. I’d know.”<br/><br/>She looked up, brows furrowed. “But Danny, if Vlad was imprisoned like you said then he couldn’t have built his time machine any way.” <br/><br/>Danny blinked and heaved a great sigh, falling back on his bed. “I dunno, really, Jazz. I just do what he says. You said it yourself, he’s a god of time or something. The guy sees all.” Danny huffed, confused and for the first time a little suspicious of Clockwork’s ways, “I wonder if he saw last night coming…”<br/><br/>Jazz quirked her head. “What happened last night?” Danny tensed.<br/><br/>“Right. Mm. Didn’t tell you about that part yet.” He slowly sat up, bringing his feet to the edge of his bed and hugging his knees.<br/><br/>Jazz recognized the position as one Danny often used to sit in as a child when he was scared or in trouble. She frowned, gently touching his shoulder blade and leaning over to look at his face. “Hey, whatever it is, it’s okay. I’ll help in any way I can.” She said earnestly, giving him a soft and reassuring smile.<br/><br/>He relaxed just a little bit, returning the small smile before dropping his gaze again. “I… I made a mistake. I messed up and did a bad thing and I thought it would be fine and nothing would happen but I ended up realizing how fucked up it was and now I hate myself.” She smiled sadly at his petulant tone, rubbing his back. Whatever he’d done was eating at him and she could hardly take it, even with his dramatics.<br/><br/>“Just tell me what happened, Danny, we can figure it out together.” He bit his lip and stayed silent still, then after barely hiding the tremor that shook him Danny turned his whole body to face her and he looked like he was about to cry. It hurt her heart. She wished she could be around to guide him more often, god knows her parents wouldn’t. They meant well, but they were remarkably out of touch with their son’s life. It wasn’t entirely their fault considering Danny never told them about what happened nearly five years ago now, but their emotional awareness of him was exceptionally dull.<br/><br/>He was clearly suffering from it.<br/><br/>Danny took a shaky breath, eyes flitting to and from her face and pillow he held, “You remember the cool new power I mentioned?” She already hated where this was going. “I, uh, may have used it on him?” He looked at her cautiously but her face remained still. She was thankful that her professors were training her and her peers to remain somewhat impassive, only allowing an encouraging smile on her face to prompt Danny further. She was careful to keep any negative reactions at bay.<br/><br/>It was thankfully effective. “I guess I just… stopped caring for a second?” He started, “I dunno, first I was just gonna make him use the venom- so it wouldn’t hurt and I could know what it felt like with my ghost core- which was bad enough since he didn’t want our ‘essences’ any more intermingled than they already were.” That explained the weird atmosphere earlier by the stairs. She was very much human, with no such heightened paranormal senses or anything of the like, but she felt like she would have been able to reach out and grasp the tense, supernatural connection between the two of them then.<br/><br/>Danny’s voice surprised her with how quiet it was. “Then next thing I know I was… I made him kiss me…” She couldn’t stop her brows from rising at that. He winced.<br/><br/>“I know, I know! It’s creepy and it was wrong and I’m beyond sorry at this point, I even apologized and tried to explain to Vlad-”<br/><br/>“Vlad <em> knows</em>?” She blurted, unable to help herself. “You kissed him and then you told him about it?”<br/><br/>Danny buried his face in his hands. “He saw it. On his cameras.”<br/><br/>“Oh, no, Danny…” She worried her lip with her teeth. Would Vlad retaliate with violence? With a forceful infraction of his own? Jazz was concerned, but mostly taken aback by Danny’s behavior, so deviously bold and unexpected from the shy boy she once knew him to be.<br/><br/>All this time she’d silently worried about how weirdly interested Vlad was in Danny. She hadn’t stopped to think that it could possibly be a two way street. It was one of those things you didn’t ever imagine as a possibility, but then it happened and it made so much sense that you kick yourself for not seeing it before. The signs had been there, their strange relationship and the intense way they communicated. She’d assumed it was just a ghost thing. Maybe it was.<br/><br/>Villainous half-ghost or not, her sweet, innocent baby brother had...<br/><br/>She laughed lightly, “You figured you’d get better at making choices after-” And Jazz stopped herself, but it was too late. Danny knew she was referring to the CAT, his alternate future he’d told her all about, that she'd <em>seen</em>.<br/><br/>“Yeah, you’d think…” He mumbled despondently, thoroughly ashamed. Jazz wrapped her arms around him.<br/><br/>“It’s just… so unlike you, little bro.” And she held him there, not moving as he eventually began to silently cry against her. She couldn’t stop thinking about how out of place it was for her goofy baby brother to do something so… predatory.<br/><br/>Vlad? Sure, she could see that. He had that vibe. </p><p>Danny’s evil fusion future self, definitely. From what Danny told her, nothing could be put past him. She didn’t hold it against him, that future was half Vlad after all.<br/><br/>But Danny? Her Danny? He’d never take advantage of someone, not like that...<br/><br/>It just wasn’t… right. Something wasn’t right.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Epiphany</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Danny and Vlad figure out what's happening to them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was my first year experiencing the Dannypacolypse and let me just say, I fucking love this phandom??? Like, it's so damn good?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Vlad fumed all the way to the Ghost Zone, practically kicking down the doors of Ghostwriter’s lair and stomping his way up to the bookish specter. The pale green face remained vacant, not dignifying the other ghost’s melodramatic entrance with a reaction. He calmly looked over the hovering books encircling him. <br/><br/>“Hello, Plasmius. You seem to be in high spirits.” <br/><br/>“Bite me.” Ghostwriter raised a brow at how the halfa seemed to flinch at his own choice of words. Interesting. <br/><br/>“What brings you to my humble library today?” The place was anything but humble. It was vast and never ending, the shelves stretching beyond forever, all stuffed with written history, fantasy, and philosophy of man and ghost. He’d found a friend in the chaotic half-ghost many decades ago when a young Vlad came to him in search of a certain piece of literature. Naturally Ghostwriter wasn’t going to just <em> give </em> part of his collection away, so they made a trade. This ‘Plasmius’ ghost had a magnificent array of mortal literature, obviously a collector himself. <br/><br/>He thought that would be the last he’d see of the strange being, but it wasn’t terribly long before he returned in search of more information. Then kept returning for more and more. <br/><br/>The author related easily to the seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and after opening his store-house to the halfa, in exchange for knowledge of equal value, a business agreement was reached. Ghostwriter thought of Plasmius as a brilliant mind with which to converse and trade ideas, but the other seemed to think ‘friend’ was a dirty word so they never labeled their relationship as such <br/><br/>Ghostwriter took what he could get. He’d been a hermit since he could remember, and not many ghosts were very interested in ancient literature unless they were up to no good, so he’d spent much of his time alone with his words. It had gotten <em> particularly </em> lonely after he broke the truce a few years ago, even for a recluse like him. <br/><br/>So he was almost pleased to see the halfa, if it weren’t for the fact that he was one of those visitors that was <em> most often </em> up to no good. <br/><br/>“I have a trade, obviously.” Plasmius growled. He truly was in quite the mood today. <br/><br/>“Obviously.” Ghostwriter repeated. “I haven’t seen you in a long while. Tell me about your latest schemes, I do love a good story.” The man truly had the wildest tales. Ghostwriter wanted to write a novel based on Plasmius’ life, but he simply couldn’t get the main character’s affect pinned down. The visits were helpful in that they provided further insight into the halfa’s twisted mind, but writer’s block still prevailed even in the afterlife sometimes. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter, of course, would not be telling Plasmius of these plans. He’d surely have to share royalties. <br/><br/>“There’s nothing to tell.” Vlad grumped. Ah, not in a sharing mood. <br/><br/>“There must be something interesting going on if you’ve ventured all the way here…” He looked at Vlad expectantly but the ghost wouldn’t budge. He sighed, defeated. “Fine, fine, show me what you’ve got today and we’ll discuss what it’s worth.” He said, reaching his hand out palm up and flexing his fingers in a ‘gimme’ fashion.</p><p>Vlad smirked confidently, “It’s <em> worth </em> fifty of your most valuable tomes, dear fellow.” <br/><br/>Ghostwriter grimaced at the tone. He was fully aware that this ghost was a man of business in the land of the living and was likely employing some ‘over-selling’ tactic in an effort to make his offer more desirable. He would not be so easily dazzled. <br/><br/>“Yes, yes, I’m so very sure. Let’s see it then.” <br/><br/>Plasmius procured a large, bulky book seemingly from thin air and presented it smugly. Ghostwriter dismissed the other texts that he’d left floating around him and approached the other ghost heedfully. Just because they had a friendly arrangement didn’t mean Plasmius was a totally trustworthy guy so caution was always employed. <br/><br/>He snatched the book, opening it carefully so as not to rip what looked to be very fragile pages. Vlad hardly reacted, simply standing there with that plotting look on his face. He doubted the halfa would make any move against him, Vlad was here for a reason after all. Ghostwriter clearly had something he wanted. <br/><br/>He perused the offering with narrowed eyes that grew slowly as he began to comprehend what he was holding. Ghostwriter half-closed the book to reinspect the cover before opening it again in awe. The Mortal Opus of Pariah Dark. He was holding the ancient human understanding of the undead in his very hands. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter had endless books describing and explaining the afterlife and the many entities that dwelled there, both factual and fictional, but so few of them were from the mortal world. When he did find something of value within the human world it was in poor condition, that or it didn’t date back far enough to peak his interest. Even less of the human records were accurate. Their understanding of life after death was usually a hit or miss, largely a miss, but it was so very <em> interesting</em>. <br/><br/>This was <em> something</em>. This was rare and truly as valuable as Plasmius claimed. <br/><br/>He eyed the man suspiciously, “This is quite the treasure, Plasmius.” The man had to have stolen it, he was sure. Not that it mattered. “I can only wonder what it is that you want from me in exchange for something so valuable…” <br/><br/>Plasmius was typically involved in some shady ventures. Ghostwriter didn’t fancy getting involved in anything like that, but this tome was likely worth more than whatever Vlad would be asking of him, and he <em> had </em> to have this in his collection. He wasn’t letting Plasmius have it back. <br/><br/>Plasmius’ ashen blue face contorted from smug to determined, “I want everything you have on venom. The ghostly venom of feeders, to be specific. I also want any information on ghost cores and how they may interact with each other.” Ghostwriter frowned, trying to wrap his head around why Plasmius would want to delve back into ghost cores. <br/><br/>Sure, the venom aspect was new, but he knew for a fact that Plasmius was well-versed in the field of ghostly core energy. They’d met many years ago, only a couple after Vlad’s change, and often spent many days on end together, simply reading and enjoying the silent company over time. These visit’s became fewer and farther between as Plasmius eventually moved to make a rather infamous name for himself, in their realm and his own living one, but he still visited the library now and then when his thirst for ghostly knowledge returned. <br/><br/>And he distinctly remembered Plasmius pouring over texts about ghost cores way back in the beginning, having been fascinated by them. Why would he return to something so seemingly broad and basic? <br/><br/>“That… is going to be quite a substantial request. You do realize that we’re in a ghost library?” Ghostwriter gestured to the boundless shelves and aisles. “I would venture to say that ninety percent of the material present is going to cover ghostly subjects. Even if we were to narrow it down to just feeder venom and core-study we’d be here for quite some time, and I can’t be certain that you’ll find whatever it is you’re looking for…” <br/><br/>Vlad smiled and gave him a charming look, “Ah, I was hoping you’d come to my aide, as the ever-knowledgeable curator of this fine collection.” Ghostwriter scoffed, half incredulous because Plasmius <em> never </em> tried buttering him up. He knew when he was being played. <br/><br/>“Oh stop with the eyes, Plasmius.” It was weird to hear the halfa suck up to him, but it was damn convincing. He tucked the large book under his arm and began his trek through the library searching for a particular section. “I suppose this is worth pausing my novel, you’re going to need more than one set of eyes to wade through the pages with you.” He glanced back to see Vlad looking around with interest. “Was there a title you had in mind?” <br/><br/>“No.” Vlad responded a bit dejectedly, “I just know that something is <em> quite </em> wrong with my core, and it is affecting me in peculiar ways that do not line up with my previous assumptions on core composition.” <br/><br/>Ghostwriter paused. “What is it that is so <em> wrong </em> with your core?” He looked back to fix Vlad with a sharp look. “Are you accidentally setting things ablaze again? Because if so then you should definitely get the hell out of my library-” <br/><br/>“My abilities are not the matter at hand, Andrew. Your precious books are fine.” Vlad rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on. As if sitting through a dinner with the Fentons and their deviant of a son hadn’t been draining enough. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter cast him a knowing look, his mouth opening to form an ‘oh’. “An identity crisis, then? Hm. You really don’t seem like the type.” Of all the years he’d known Vlad there hadn’t been a single one where Vlad had questioned his thoughts or actions. Part of what made him so dangerous was how unapologetic and sure of himself he was. <br/><br/>“Yes, I know full well what ‘type’ of person I am. Or I thought I did.” The muscles of his jaw flexed angrily. The last few months had shaken him quite literally to his core... <br/><br/>Ghostwriter paused in front of a dusty shelf, one that probably hadn’t been disturbed since the last time Vlad had studied the subject of cores. Not many full ghosts bothered to read or educate themselves beyond their obsessions, not even when it clearly pertained to their existence, so it had been awhile since this section had received any attention. Even fewer came to <em> Ghostwriter </em> for that information if they were at all scholarly. He was not the only collector in the Ghost Zone after all, and he was, again, not well-liked.</p><p>He began pulling titles that stuck out to him, handing them to Vlad who only skimmed, albeit scrupulously, before throwing his suggestions aside. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter frowned. Vlad was clearly looking for something quite niche. “You’ll have to elaborate upon your situation in order to help us find precisely what you’re searching for.” He worried that Vlad was looking for something specific to half-ghosts, a subject for which he only had a small selection of lore. <br/><br/>Plasmius looked contemplative, folding his arms before bringing one of his hands to the side of his face. He seemed very reluctant to divulge any information to Ghostwriter, something the author always found odd. They were both well aware of who would come out victorious in a fight, despite Ghostwriter’s controlling gifts, so he couldn’t fathom what Vlad was wary of. He was a very private, untrusting man. <br/><br/>“What information could I possibly abuse against the likes of you?” Ghostwriter questioned, knowing that historically the best way to crack Plasmius was to feed his ego. <br/><br/>“As if I haven’t heard <em> that </em> before.” Vlad grumbled bitterly. Daniel had told him something similar… Then promptly exploited that misplaced trust in a rather shocking turn of events. <br/><br/>Still, while Ghostwriter had similar abilities to those Daniel had procured, he knew the specter had no such motivations to misuse them on Vlad. <br/><br/>“Fine.” He concluded after a moment, “As I’m sure you’ve guessed over time, I am what your kind calls a feeder. I must ingest the ectoplasm of other ghosts so that the undead half of my subconscious remains stable and does not break my still-human psyche.” He paused, watching, letting the information sink in. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter blinked. He most certainly had <em> not </em> guessed that. Most ghosts that still fed on ectoplasm were centuries old, so the possibility of Vlad belonging to that group had simply never entered his mind, as he’d only (half)died a couple decades ago. His ghost core flared in mild fear, having never actually met a true feeder before, but he quickly reasoned it away. Vlad wasn’t here to eat him or steal his ectoplasm, and he’d never tried to do so in the past. <br/><br/>“Okay…” And he mentally berated himself for lacking his usual eloquence. Vlad paid it no mind, choosing to continue his explanation once Ghostwriter seemed to catch up. <br/><br/>“I have found myself in a very unsavory position, in which I can now only feed from the only other known halfa. Knowing some of our history, I’m sure you can see why this situation is less than ideal for a multitude of reasons.” And he definitely did. Plasmius was rather choosy with the personal information he divulged but almost everyone in the Ghost Zone knew of the two halfa’s complicated ‘frenemy’ relationship. <br/><br/>And a feeder having their energy intake narrowed down to one source sounded dangerous all on its own. <br/><br/>“Ah, an unsavory position indeed. Phantom doesn’t seem like the type to be keen on letting his nemesis dine upon his energy.” At this, Vlad gave a surprising smirk, looking at his nails pretentiously. <br/><br/>“Well, we’ve come to a bit of an arrangement. He scratches my back, I scratch his…” </p><p>Ghostwriter’s brow raised in subdued astonishment. “You don’t mean…?”<br/><br/>Vlad gave a fangy grin, “Yes, young Daniel is just as much a feeder as I.” The smile faded, “In fact, that is part of the problem. Our ever-selective cores have seemingly ‘synced’, and I am quite anxious about the potential side-effects this could pose to us.” <br/><br/>That bit of information flipped a switch in Ghostwriter’s brain. Vlad had already stated that it wasn’t his actual powers that were out of wack…  “And these side-effects you fear, all to do with the essence of your being, yes? Your ‘spirit’, if you will?” <br/><br/>Vlad frowned, “In fewer ‘fantasy’ words, but yes.” At this point he believed that his core and his soul were essentially one and the same, but he’d never have stooped to such verbiage, lest he sound like a romantic. They seemed to be on the same page, and the other ghost looked like he might have something in mind for Vlad. <br/><br/>A small stack of fat books suddenly fell into his arms and he looked over them to see Ghostwriter holding a book of his own, staring at him excitedly. <br/><br/>“Just like the good old days, yes Plasmius?” And he dropped to the dusty floor with his legs crossed, already flipping the pages. Vlad slowly and reluctantly sank down to join him in a much more sophisticated manner. <br/><br/>He opened his own book and spoke absently, finding that revealing his troubles to another was actually quite… therapeutic. Strange. “My initial fear was that Daniel would be able to sense my thoughts or feelings and interfere should I decide to act on them. It hasn’t come up yet considering I haven’t planned anything since my last grand scheme was interrupted by <em> imprisonment</em>,” He said bitterly, “but I still wonder…” <br/><br/>Daniel could definitely feel some extent of the rage rolling off of him if his quiet affect at dinner was any indication. Maybe his own self doubt was something he’d picked up from younger halfa. That didn’t make sense, though. Just because he had the ability to sense something from Daniel didn’t mean that it should affect him so. Vlad looked up upon seeing Ghostwriter pause and stare at him in his peripheral. <br/><br/>“Your life is truly worthy of its own novel, Plasmius.” <br/><br/>Plasmius shrugged poshly, “Some of us simply aren’t meant to live a quiet, peaceful life, Andrew.” His semi-afterlife was no exception. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter shook his head, “No, I suppose some of us are not.” and he returned to flipping through his text. Vlad did the same. <br/><br/>They spent the next few hours at this, occasionally bouncing theories off of each other or simply discussing the wonders of the ghostly subconscious and its effects on their behavior. Vlad flipped uselessly through a book that mostly seemed to cover dreams and he leaned back with a tired sigh, bumping his head against a shelf. <br/><br/>“I feel like I’m in college again…” He moaned, waving the dust out of his face. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter hummed, “This <em> was </em> your major, wasn’t it?” <br/><br/>“You could say that.” Vlad grunted as he shifted positions, “Still as fascinating as ever, but quite repetitive. There are only so many ways you can say ‘The ghost core is the frozen subconscious of the deceased mortal’.” He mocked in a dramatized tone. “It’s like the whole, ‘The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell’. Sure, you get it, you memorize it, but its full complex purpose is lost on you after a while.” <br/><br/>Ghostwriter continued to read, “Is that not why we’re covering these bases? To refresh our understanding of-” He suddenly went silent. <br/><br/>Vlad looked over to see him frowning intensely at his book. “Our understanding of what, Andrew?” He prompted. <br/><br/>“Hold on.” The other ghost mumbled. <br/><br/>Vlad tried to get a look at the title but it seemed to have faded from the hard cover many years ago. He waited patiently. <br/><br/>Finally the other ghost put the book down, looking almost excited at whatever epiphany he seemed to have reached. “Alright, so as a ghost, we understand that theoretically I will be forever fixated on my books- my ghostly obsession if you will, yes?” <br/><br/>Vlad didn’t like being dragged along but eventually gave in and answered. “Yes…” It wasn’t all that theoretical. They were sitting in the ghost’s never ending library where he basically lives, reading and writing for eternity or until thwarted by another. That was nothing short of obsessive. <br/><br/>“And as a human, a person is always subject to changing and evolving, right?” <br/><br/>He sighed loudly, “Are you about to start speaking in rhyme? Get to the point.” After receiving a flat look from the author, Vlad scooted closer to the other ghost as he was offered a look at what he’d been reading. It was in no language he’d ever seen but there was a crude illustration of two entities with what looked to be something similar to an infinity symbol between them. <br/><br/>The ink glowed green. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter’s finger traced under an inscrutable paragraph. “As a half-ghost, one would assume that you would be caught between these states of being, and to a degree, you are. You are still changing and absorbing new things in the human world, but your ghost half is stuck in the past like the rest of us, frozen in whatever fixations you held in your twenties, which I think plays a large role in that damnable self-assuredness of yours.” <br/><br/>Vlad raised an elegant eyebrow, unsure of whether or not he’d just been insulted. “I am already aware of these facts, Andrew.” <br/><br/>The ghost held up a hand, “Bear with me.” He said beseechingly, “When you and Phantom essentially merged your cores, it did in fact set up a link of communication as you feared.” He pointed to the symbol between the two forms drawn in the book. <br/><br/>The knowing dread he felt in the hallway earlier that evening returned full force. <br/><br/>“However, the communication established is not exactly <em> revealing</em>, as you previously imagined it to be. The connection does not so much divulge intimate ‘information’ as it does tendencies…” <br/><br/>Tendencies… That word… <br/><br/>Daniel had a tendency to second guess. He had a tendency to forgive and categorize right and wrong into neat little piles. Daniel thought about people, cared about them. <br/><br/>Vlad was beginning to see each little change. <br/><br/>He’d offered Danny <em> college</em>. <br/><br/>He agreed to dinner with the Fentons and didn’t <em> absolutely </em> hate it the entire time. <br/><br/>The fact that he hadn’t just beaten the shit out of Danny on sight after seeing the camera footage was testament to some sort of change in personality at the very least. <br/><br/>It pained him to think something so elementary and lame, but perhaps… Daniel’s icy core had truly done something to cool his to an extent? <br/><br/>He laughed to himself. Danny had ‘chilled’ him out. Ridiculous.</p><p>Vlad felt his hands float up and he stared at his upturned palms, not fully seeing them. “Do you mean to say… That Daniel and I aren’t communicating our base emotions, but… sharing them?” It made sense. Questioning right and wrong definitely wasn’t a Vlad thing, but it <em> was </em> a Danny thing. <br/><br/>“Not only emotions,” The other ghost continued, “You’ll be affected by his will, his perspective, his moral code- all of it. To a degree, the more you feed, the more of ‘Danny Phantom’ you essentially absorb and become, and vice versa.” Vlad knew all too well that the ghost was right. He was apparently <em> already </em> being affected by that blasted moral code, as Andrew called it. His growing interest in Danny and dying obsession with the boy’s mother was pretty damning as well. <br/><br/>Vlad’s usually boiling ectoplasm truly ran cold at the thought of losing his very identity. And what would become of Daniel? What of his desire to be the hero and do the right thing all the time? That was obviously crumbling as well. Perhaps the boy’s intimate desires had been his own, but the complete lack of concern or restraint was all Vlad and he knew it. Their corruption went both ways. <br/><br/>Vlad’s hands curled into fists and began to shake in front of him. <br/><br/>Ghostwriter closed the book, “Plasmius, if you both don’t learn how to cope with the other’s personality traits, you could quite possibly change forever…” <br/><br/>This was worse than he thought. He wasn’t only vulnerable to Daniel, he was putty in the other halfa’s hands. The boy wasn’t even intending to do so but he was molding Vlad into his own bastardized image. <br/><br/>He’d always wondered what magnificent heights Daniel could reach if he’d just be a <em> little </em> more ambitious, a little more like Vlad. Now he thought a little was too much. <br/><br/><em> Evidently</em>, He thought to himself, remembering what he saw on his security cameras. <br/><br/>This would be a difficult bump in the road to get around. They <em> needed </em> to feed, but the more they did so, the more they would essentially influence the other’s existence, the other’s entire makeup. <br/><br/>Their core, their personality, their will, their desires, their actions, their beliefs- all of it. It made his head spin at all of the possibilities. <br/><br/>He could literally lose himself in Daniel. <br/><br/>“You really got yourself in a pickle this time, Plasmius.” Vlad glared fiercely at the other ghost. “Makes me glad I’m full-dead, your plight sounds complicated.” <br/><br/>“If you don’t shut your mouth I’ll make you double-dead.” Ghostwriter smiled, knowing the threat was possible, but empty. <br/><br/>“Seriously, though, if you need more information I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I know other ghosts who have pretty extensive libraries, some that practically go back to the dawn of time.” <br/><br/>Vlad twitched. That gave him an idea, a plan. Not a new one, but what he felt was definitely a good one. <br/><br/>“What <em> do </em> you have on the subject of time?” <br/><br/>- <br/><br/>Danny sat on top of the roof under the OP center’s giant satellite, watching the rain and what he could see of the stars. It had been three unbearably long days since Vlad had come over for dinner and Danny still couldn’t get the man’s eyes out of his head. Betrayal shouldn’t look so heart-breaking on someone so evil. <br/><br/>But he knew Vlad wasn’t evil. Danny was no longer a child, and his mind wouldn’t let him just shove a person into a single box and be done with it anymore. If that were the case, how would he classify himself? <br/><br/>Danny sunk further into himself, hugging his knees almost too tightly. He’d told Sam and Tucker about Vlad coming over, about the man confronting him. Even Sam had felt bad for him, but she assured him that having it out in the open was for the best. Jazz kept insisting upon talking about it every time they were alone together, which was what made him come hide on the roof in the first place. She kept asking what prompted the kiss, about his feelings, if it was just physical or something more, or if it was just some weird ghost-stuff, on and on. He knew she meant well, but every time he talked about Vlad he felt a new wave of guilt mixed with confusion and the faintest yearning would wash over him and sink him back into depression. <br/><br/>He’d never felt this down before, he didn’t know it could get this bad. First he was sad, then empty, and now he was really pushing angry, and sad was making a mean come back. It was too much. Jazz had been putting forth her best efforts to console him and cheer him up but he didn’t feel like he deserved it, hence the hiding. <br/><br/>“I wonder if Vlad’s ever felt this guilty before…” The man had done some awful things, in both human and ghost form, but did he ever regret it like this? <br/><br/>“No, Plasmius has not experienced true guilt since he was a young man.” Danny jumped, flying from his spot and whipping around to see Clockwork step forward from the shadows that were behind him. “Then again, Vladimir has never had to confront the consequences of his crimes, outside of failing to realize his goals.” <br/><br/>Danny frowned, floating back to the rooftop. “Yeah, well I didn’t exactly confront it all on my own either. He’s the one who confronted me.” He grumbled, remembering how tense Vlad had been around him. <br/><br/>“I know. I saw.” The ghost said simply, aging drastically and staring at Danny with next to no emotion. They stood in silence for a moment before Danny couldn’t take it anymore and had to voice at least one of his many scattered thoughts. <br/><br/>“Why… did you let me do that? Why did you just sit back and watch me do something so messed up?” He fought the blush at the thoughts that Clockwork had observed something so private but he kept the ghost’s red gaze. <br/><br/>“Yes, that was… different, wasn’t it?” He was back to middle-aged, and then there was an almost tickled smirk on Clockwork's mouth. <br/><br/>Danny’s face slowly morphed into a surprised wariness as he took in the expression on the other ghost’s face. He found this amusing? He watched Danny cross that line and he did nothing, and now he was smirking about it? Maybe Jazz had been right. Maybe Clockwork wasn’t as ‘lawful good’ as Danny always thought he was. Wasn’t he at least supposed to be neutral? He didn’t interfere when it was necessary, he interfered when it was entertaining. Did that make him bad? <br/><br/>“Hm. Depressed <em> and </em> already overwhelmed with his paranoia. That was faster than even I anticipated.” Clockwork’s voice broke him out of his musings and Danny’s head slightly twitched to the side in deep confusion, something the time keeper had seen the child do far too many times in his presence.</p><p>“You are already questioning my integrity after only three feedings. I can sense Plasmius permeating what is essentially your ghostly soul. It’s interesting, how it didn’t take very long.” He put his hands behind his back, casual, like they were talking about the weather. “Your cores are just itching to become one, possibly because they are just two haves. They’re dying to fuse and be whole.” Clockwork leaned over, shrinking into his childish form, “But we know how catastrophic <em> that </em> would be.” <br/><br/>Danny shook his head, backing away. “W-what are you talking about?” What did he mean Plasmius was in his soul? Their cores wanted to fuse? <br/><br/>Clockwork straightened with an almost imperceivable sigh. When his hands returned to his sides they revealed the staff Clockwork manifested. “It wasn’t <em> really </em> you, was it? The Danny Phantom you and I know would never do such a thing to someone.” <br/><br/>Danny gaped at him incredulously, “What do you mean? It <em> was </em> me, I was kind of there?” He said sassily. “I understand how out of character it was, everyone I tell says so, but I don’t know what I was thinking, and I wasn’t under any influence. I wasn’t overshadowed or anything like that.” Danny slumped down, sitting on the edge of the roof in the rain. “I’m… I just… fucked up.” <br/><br/>Clockwork simply stared for a moment before eventually floating out into the rain until he was at Danny’s side, looking over the city. “... Daniel, what is it that you think makes you a good ‘hero’?” His head turned down, becoming elderly as he moved to look at the moping boy. <br/><br/>Danny frowned. He couldn’t think of anything to say, and he really didn’t feel like a hero right then. Sure, he saved a few people from the Box Ghost just yesterday, but… He didn’t feel like that was what Clockwork was asking. Why did he even do it? He thought back to what Nocturne had told him before, that he was so obsessed with saving citizens because his ‘last thoughts’ were cries to be saved. He just wanted to help. There was so much injustice in the world, he just wanted to do what he could to make things right for a few people. <br/><br/>“I guess a good hero helps people and does the right thing.” He said, looking down at the street. <br/><br/>“Yes,” Clockwork agreed, “Now does that make a hero impervious to doing the wrong thing?” <br/><br/>Danny frowned, “No… No one is perfect…” <br/><br/>Clockwork appeared only slightly younger. “When you’re thinking about doing something bad, what stops you?” <br/><br/>That made Danny think. He didn’t know the answer to that right away, especially since nothing of the sort had occurred to him when he’d used his powers on Vlad. What drove his <em> usual </em>desire to be good? What made him resist his base desires when he was sad or angry and knew he wasn’t thinking straight?  </p><p>“How about this? After you saw Dan and found out what you became after cheating on the CAT, why did you return the answers and tell the truth?”<br/><br/>That was easy, “Consequences.” He said quickly, but that didn’t make him feel very good. He only did good things for fear of bad things? Even psychopaths could follow that logic. ‘<em>I don’t murder for fear of prison.'</em> <br/><br/>That didn’t make a hero at all. <br/><br/>“And what are the consequences of becoming Dan?” Clockwork asked carefully, once again changing into the form of a child. <br/><br/>Danny swallowed at the question, “Lots of people get hurt…” <br/><br/>“Precisely.” Clockwork smiled, “You don’t want to hurt anyone. Even if you’re tempted to do something less-than-good, you don’t. That’s who you are. You refrain. You resist. You defend.” <br/><br/>“<em>But I </em> <b> <em>didn’t</em></b><em>! </em> ” Danny suddenly yelled, eyes furiously wide. He could feel ghostly power creeping into his voice and he barely held back a wail. “I didn’t resist or even think about doing so-” <br/><br/>“Because the <em> will </em> to do so wasn’t there.” Clockwork’s calm voice somehow pierced through Danny’s, interrupting him easily. “Who do you know who completely lacks good will?” <br/><br/>Danny’s jaw dropped, “Plasmius? But how would that-?” He suddenly remembered Vlad telling him about their synced cores, about how their consciousness was now linked somehow and he ‘didn’t know what that entailed’.</p><p>He huffed a laugh. Now Danny had an idea of what that entailed. <br/><br/>“So… all this time? All of these insane emotions and obsessive thoughts about Vlad?” Of course… The overwhelming sense of dread, the sudden intensity of his crush, the lack of remorse, hell, even the increased distance to his parents made more sense. Vlad had been right to be apprehensive. In some crude sense they were trading, evening each other out. <br/><br/>“Not quite,” Clockwork amended, returning to the middle aged form that Danny honestly preferred. “Your feelings and emotions have been yours. You just lacked the will and foresight in that moment not to act on them, like our dear friend Plasmius. He does not care if someone gets hurt by his hand, so whether something is the right thing or the wrong thing never crosses his mind, especially not before he gets what he wants. You had your desires, but his will, or lack thereof.” <br/><br/>Danny’s lips twitched, “C-could I get mine back? My will or whatever? How am I going to be Danny Phantom if my conscience is compromised?” Would he beat up his bullies? Would he stop going to school or seeing his friends? The little things would build up. Maybe he’d hear a scream one day and just… not care? Maybe he'd hurt someone. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like Vlad and only care about his own needs and wants. <br/><br/>“The only way to deal with change is to adapt, Danny Phantom. Retrain yourself. You can use this. Remember, you aren’t the only one affected either.” He was right. <br/><br/>Plasmius probably felt the same way he did. Danny wondered if he was confused or if the other ghost had seen this coming and simply kept it from him. Vlad didn’t <em> seem </em> to be changing. <br/><br/>Then again, that was hard to say. Vlad had come over the other night. He’d sat down and conversed with his mom and dad. Even when Vlad confronted him in the hallway it had been noticeable. The old Vlad would have smirked at him all night and humiliated him in front of his parents and sister, if he wasn’t busy congratulating him on his first evil deed. <br/><br/>That, or Vlad would have matched his crime, done something just as bad or worse to get back at him, whether he was attracted to Danny or not. Sexual indiscretions may have been outside of Vlad’s usual repertoire, but Danny wouldn’t put it totally past him in the case of revenge. <br/><br/>He’d been fully expecting to at least get punched in the face or thrown into a wall. <br/><br/>But that wasn’t what had happened. Vlad had pretty much lectured him. He’d done the wrong thing and Vlad was upset by it. Now that could have been because Danny had done the wrong thing <em> to Vlad</em>, but he couldn’t be sure. <br/><br/>But he was sure that Vlad was indeed changing just like he was. <br/><br/>“So… we’re turning into each other? Or…” <br/><br/>“Not exactly, but your influence over one another is strong.” Clockwork aged again, elderly once more. “When you repeatedly absorb another ghost’s energy, the essence of who they are, this is bound to happen over time. Your cores are quite contrary to the other, I think that has much to do with how abruptly they acclimated and you began to see these changes.” <br/><br/>Danny nodded, remembering something else Vlad told him. “Plasmius said that our cores were attracted to each other, because they’re opposite elements…” <br/><br/>“Correct,” Clockwork nodded, appearing to be around forty again. “Think of it like they want to intermingle in an effort to neutralize.” <br/><br/>Danny gulped, “Man, the universe really wants Dan to happen, huh?” and a nervous giggle bubbled in his throat. <br/><br/>Clockwork frowned down at him. “Dan will not happen if you adapt to these changes the way you are supposed to.” <br/><br/>A bright green glow shined from Danny’s eyes, his frustration sneaking up on him. “I just… Why do I have to deal with this? Why is it happening?” Why did he have to be a feeder? Why did he have to help Vlad? Why did he have to <em> like </em> the man? <br/><br/>Danny was surprised when Clockwork sat down next to him, sitting his elbow on his wispy tail and propping his face up with the heel of his palm. “Why does anything happen?” He said once he settled, staring down at the street as Danny had been doing. “Some things happen for a reason, some things do not. Some are foreseeable, some are not. Why does it matter when it has already occurred? It is already set in motion, the purpose of whatever occurrence is essentially irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.”<br/><br/>Danny scoffed at the philosophical answer, “That’s easy for you to say, you can see it all, and you’re not in it.” Danny ran his gloved fingers through his white hair, flying up to float in front of Clockwork irritably. “I’m right here in the thick of it and it’s all scattered and chaotic for me and I don’t understand why any of this is happening! I don’t <em> need </em> or <em> want </em> to have Vlad’s shitty personality or his lack of regard for other human beings and ghosts. It made me slimy and bad! Not cheating on a test bad, but <em> really </em> bad!” Danny flew back into the shadows under the satellite, tired of being rained on. <br/><br/>Clockwork stayed seated for a bit, just twisting to look back at Danny as the halfa paced in the dark. He only floated over when Danny fell onto his butt in a heap and pulled his knees to his chest, rocking lightly. “He and I really don’t mix… We can’t mix, I’ll become-” But Danny choked, unable to finish. He was so, so scared of turning into Dan, of Vlad contaminating him so much that he just gets darker and darker until he completely loses himself. <br/><br/>Clockwork placed a hand on his back, stilling him. “That won’t happen, not like this.” Danny looked up hopefully. “So long as you retain your humanity. What your cores are doing now is nothing more than neutralizing each other, mixing and intermingling, but not actually fusing into another entity altogether. You cannot turn into Dan because Dan is not <em> just </em> you, he’s not even you with a little bit of Plasmius. Dan is a full ghost made of two opposing, equal halves- Neither of them alive or human.” Clockwork met his eyes with a serious look, but Danny thought he could see some worry in there. <br/><br/>Clockwork blinked it away, still looking serious despite the fact that he was now practically a toddler. “The trials you are experiencing must be overcome. You will adapt, you will grow, you will change into what you need to be.” <br/><br/>Danny felt anxiety swell in his chest and stomach. “It just… It sounds like a lot. I wish I could make it make sense… What do you think I gain from these ‘trials’? I just don’t understand what it <em>is</em> I need to be!” He looked up at Clockwork, begging for answers instead of more riddles.<br/><br/>Clockwork’s face softened, revealing the faintest hints of concern and exhaustion as the ghost’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “There is much that you don’t, and won’t, understand yet about your place in the world- in this one and in ours. Sometimes you have to endure certain things to become the person you’re supposed to be, who you’re meant to be. When you first came to face your future as Dan, you had been ready to commit one seemingly insignificant bad deed. Nothing about cheating on a test or lying could have led you to believe you’d become a nightmare worse than Pariah Dark, but you don’t see these futures or possibilities, I do.” He changed again, older but Danny couldn’t assume his age right then. <br/><br/>“After we sealed Dan away, I left you with your memories of him so you could learn from them. You wouldn’t be the person you are if you were oblivious to the possibility of his existence. My meddling may seem manipulative, and in a sense it is, but it cannot be called ‘good or bad’, right or wrong, because again, in the grand scheme of things the means will always justify the ends. That is why I ask that you trust my guidance, because I have seen the end game. I know what your future holds, and if I told you now then it would never come true.” <br/><br/>Danny just shook his head. None of that made sense to him, but then again, it never did at first. He knew somewhere down the line he would remember this and it would hit him like a ton of bricks but right now it was all going over his head and he felt like a dumb kid again. <br/><br/>Clockwork’s voice had an elderly rasp and Danny didn’t have to look up to know what he looked like right then. “There is a great storm coming that even I cannot see as of yet, but I know we are making the right moves, taking the proper steps, but I cannot explain to you how.” And Danny looked up to find him almost apologetic. He didn’t know if he found it comforting or if it made him even more anxious of what lay ahead. <br/><br/>Clockwork flew in front of him, now a young kid. “Despite what you may think, you are doing well, dear ghost child.” He placed an disturbingly small, grubby hand on Danny’s shoulder, but the voice that came out was that of a man. “It’s all going according to plan.” <br/><br/>That dreadful feeling was back, those words sinking it to the pit of his stomach. If there was something that even Clockwork can’t see then how was there a plan? He looked up and opened his mouth to ask Clockwork only to catch the time ghost as he rolled his eyes and cursed, hearing Clockwork faintly mumble “... why is he like this?” before disappearing in an almost sparkling blue time portal. <br/><br/>Before he could even blink he jumped at a familiar sound in the distance from somewhere behind him, barely dodging a fiery pink blast that burned through the air where he’d just been with Clockwork, crashing into the street below. He looked back to see Plasmius barreling towards him and he took off. The first thing on his mind was getting them away from his house. He didn’t know what Plasmius was thinking playing this close to home base, but he knew he didn’t want his family involved in whatever shitshow this was probably about to be. <br/><br/>Danny made it just past the park when Vlad’s speed finally caught him up, tackling Danny into the dirt. He flailed against Vlad, firing a vibrant green blast of his own only for Plasmius to yank his wrist to the side to redirect it into the air and punch him in the ribs. He grunted in pain, twisting to get out from under the larger halfa. Vlad still held his wrist and yanked him back down when he tried to rise, but Danny shifted his weight and kicked Vlad right in the stomach. He thought Vlad would stay down for at least a second but the man was back up and swinging. Danny blocked a few, even striking Vlad once in the side, once in the face, but Vlad was relentless, just like that night… <br/><br/>“Ugh! What is your <em> problem </em> ?!” And that made Vlad pause, which was foolish because that left him open. Danny sucker punched him right in the nose and stumbled away, eventually hovering in the air and staring at Vlad warily. <br/><br/>Pink bled from his nose and mouth and Danny was practically leering as the man licked the ectoplasm from his lips, staring intensely at Danny. “Ah, cheap shots? I suppose you’re grown now, no need to be fair or go easy anymore…” And Danny’s eyes widened at the thought that Vlad had been ‘going easy’ on him. <br/><br/>Vlad surged forward in a flash of dark light and Danny realized he’d teleported. He tensed, whipping back and forth frantically until a massive force bulldozed into him from behind and it was on. He fought harder than he’d fought anyone in a long time, not holding back because apparently Vlad wasn’t going to and he wasn’t about to get beaten to a bloody pulp. <br/><br/>But then a strange thought weaseled its way into his head. Didn’t he deserve this? Didn’t he pretty much earn the wrath of Plasmius? The thought slowed him for just a moment but it was all Vlad needed. He was body-slammed to the earth, nearly eating dirt for the second time that night. Every part of him ached and he barely had the energy to peel his eyes open. When he did he found Vlad on top of him, panting angrily with his fist held high in the air, aimed directly for Danny’s teeth. <br/><br/>Danny just stared. Vlad stared back. <br/><br/>He didn’t understand why the older halfa was hesitating, and it looked like Vlad didn’t understand either. Was this what Clockwork meant? Vlad really was being affected… <br/><br/>The fist dropped and hung at Vlad’s side before the older halfa collapsed onto the ground next to him, falling onto his back with his hair splayed all over. <br/><br/>They caught their breath for a few minutes before Danny said the only thing that he’d been thinking since he’d last seen the other man. “I’m sorry, Vlad…I-” <br/><br/>“You made me weak.” Vlad said simply, cutting him off. “I came here to punish you and exact my revenge. I was going to make you wish you were dead for real, see if I could still go through with it, and this is as far as I got. It’s... Pathetic.” <br/><br/>“I do- I mean, I did wish I was dead for real…” Danny said sadly, the emptiness that had plagued him for the last few days evident in his voice. Vlad turned his head to stare at him, a faint look of concern on his face before he banished it, eyes focusing on Danny’s neck of all places as his face hardened. <br/><br/>“Daniel…” Vlad pursed his lips into a thin line. “Don’t think about that too much, those types of thoughts aren’t your own.” And his voice was haunted in a way that hurt Danny. <br/><br/>“Are they yours?” He asked softly. Vlad looked up into his eyes again, blinking slowly a couple times before looking back up at the sky. Danny just noticed that it had stopped raining awhile ago, but he didn’t remember when. <br/><br/>“I saw Clockwork.” Vlad said suddenly, surprising him by changing the subject. <br/><br/>Danny let it go for now. “Yeah. He told me… We’re changing each other.” <br/><br/>Vlad nodded grimly, eyes glued to the stars. “Yes. I’ll have you know it’s quite inconvenient as a businessman to up and develop a conscience.” It was dry and underwhelming but it was a joke nonetheless and it made Danny smile a little <br/><br/>“Yeah, depression and an utter lack of self control have been a real picnic.” Vlad was visibly fighting a smirk and it made Danny’s smile stretch a bit wider. <br/><br/>He sat up and hesitantly, “Vlad… I’m-” <br/><br/>“Stop, Daniel. The less-than-sunny thoughts and lack of inhibitions is all me. If Clockwork was here then I’m sure he told you exactly what I just learned. I don’t want your apologies, I want an explanation.” Vlad growled, “So explain yourself.” He looked pointedly at Danny, who stammered uselessly. <br/><br/>“I-I… He said I had your ‘will’, which didn’t really care to bother with whether something was right or wrong, so long as…” <br/><br/>Vlad quirked a brow, prompting Danny to finish his sentence but ever so quietly. “... so long as I got what I wanted.” His eyes stayed low, lost in the grass between them despite feeling Vlad’s gaze. <br/><br/>“And… What you wanted was to kiss me?” He narrowed his eyes at Danny suspiciously. <br/><br/>The boy smiled, awkwardly laughing and daring a glance up at him. “I mean, unless you’re really <em> into </em> yourself and that’s one of the things transferring here…” <br/><br/>Vlad sat up on his elbows, startling Danny with the intense look as he stared down at the younger halfa. “Are you… ‘into me’, Daniel?” And the boy’s face nearly glowing in the dark was all the answer he needed. <br/><br/>“That’s… extremely foolish.” Vlad said after a moment, looking away and pushing himself up to stand. He could understand lust or teenage hormones, he could easily say he was an attractive man for his age, but if Daniel had developed feelings… <br/><br/>Well, if pity wasn’t so below him then he’d be feeling it for the boy. <br/><br/>Vlad ignored the voice pointing out that he <em> did </em> feel pity, shoving it down and actively searching for that vengeful nature he’d come to be so familiar with all these years. Pity was for the weak, to feel <em> and </em> to receive. Daniel was taking his usual nature from him, that power and strength, even now, without even trying. Pity and guilt were like a poison in him, breaking him down. <br/><br/>Many of his more heinous crimes were coming back to haunt him, lingering in the back of his mind and following him to sleep. <br/><br/>“Do you often have nightmares, Daniel?” Vlad surprised himself with the question, not expecting to voice his thoughts. He looked over to see Danny pause, having just gotten up to say something himself, only to be caught off guard by Vlad’s inquiry. <br/><br/>“I… Yeah, I do. A lot.” The boy admitted, looking down in what appeared to be shame. “Do you?” He asked almost shyly. <br/><br/>“No. Not for a long time, until recently…” Vlad assumed it was the venom. He imagined his core would have to be pretty ‘activated’ for all of <em> those </em> things to come up after so long. He dreamt of the accident, of hurting people, of his childhood… Stuff he’d buried deep down upon taking the name Plasmius. <br/><br/>Danny didn’t seem to have much control over what ‘bothered’ him, and guilt was something for which he had a very low threshold. It was rubbing off on Vlad and it was maddening. <br/><br/>What in God’s name could Daniel have done in his eighteen years of life to warrant such a strong affinity for guilty feelings? <br/><br/>“It’s easier to not think about certain things, but I can’t always escape it when I go to sleep.” Danny mumbled, “Nocturn even showed me my subconscious once… Even if you block it out it’s still in there.” <br/><br/>Vlad huffed humorlessly, finding far too much truth in the statement himself. He spotted a bench and walked over, turning human in a dark flash of negative light along the way. He found he wasn’t particularly bothered when Danny followed him, both of them sitting down exhaustedly, aching from their fight. <br/><br/>They sat silently for several minutes. Vlad was thinking but could feel the nerves just rolling off of the other halfa. He hadn’t reverted to human form yet. <br/><br/>“Just the last three days have been… Difficult. At this point I’m one hundred percent sure that it is due to your influence.” Vlad said matter-of-factly. “The other day after dinner I felt for a moment like we traded places, like I was the one telling you what was right and wrong for once. That’s when it hit me, what was happening to us…” He stared at the grass, feeling an overwhelming desire to blast a hole in the ground from his eyes. <br/><br/>Danny nodded, bringing his hands together in his lap. “I think I’ve been feeling bits and pieces of you or your personality almost take over me sometimes. I don’t just feel it from you, I feel it for myself…” <br/><br/>Vlad hummed, “I thought so. You suddenly having no regard for right or wrong in the lab and my suddenly-” <br/><br/>“Your suddenly discovering right from wrong in general?” Danny interrupted, teasing to lighten the mood and perhaps to change the subject from the kiss. <br/><br/>Vlad saw right through it, Danny knew he did because the narrowed eyes he received from the older halfa made it quite plain. The unimpressed look remained on his face. “Daniel, I’m well aware of what is ethically right and wrong, but without your suffocating guilt I didn’t have to care.” He expected Danny to scowl or have some snarky little quip but he was surprised at the empty look that shrouded the ghost like a cloud of smoke. <br/><br/>“Yeah, well, your depression has made my awesome conscience all the better.” Danny grumbled, fingers picking at each other anxiously. “And I doubt it would hurt for you to have a little guilt now and then so maybe the change is for the better.” Ah, there was that little quip he’d been waiting for. <br/><br/>“It <em> does </em> hurt in a way. It’s a pain in the ass above all else,” That got a small smile out of Danny, “and it doesn’t feel like it’s leaving. I thought it would fade over time like the effects of the initial feeding or the venom.” He sighed, placing his arm over the back of the bench as he leaned back. “Wishful thinking. Once our cores have intermingled to a certain extent, we’re stuck with the connection. Every time we feed, we provide new material for our subconscious to mirror. We can’t fully neutralize ourselves, as we are still separate entities, but the influence of our respective ethos will remain present.” <br/><br/>Vlad then sent Danny a pointed glare, “Meaning I will have to suffer this teenage angst, that is apparently so very essential to your core, for eternity.” <br/><br/>Danny sneered, “Or you could, I dunno, figure out how to cope with it?” <br/><br/>“Ha!” The laugh made Danny flinch, “And Mr. Night Terrors is an <em> expert </em> on coping. I hope you know that you aren’t the picture of mental health either, my dear boy.” <br/><br/>Danny scowled, knowing he had a point. He still actively shut down certain trains of thought instead of facing his issues, hence why they came after him at night. “I didn’t say I was good at it myself, I’m just saying we could work on it. Clockwork told me to retrain myself, now that I know what to look for.” <br/><br/>Vlad squinted at him, “What to look for?” <br/><br/>Danny squirmed a bit before answering. “Like… now I know that right and wrong might not be so obvious to me in the future, maybe I need to be mindful of certain situations like…” And he trailed off. <br/><br/>“Like using mind control to initiate intimate contact against someone’s knowledge.” Vlad provided tersely. <br/><br/>“Right…” The younger halfa shrank into himself a bit. “It’s not easy to learn how to deal with something that doesn’t come naturally anymore, but it isn’t impossible either.” <br/><br/>Vlad supposed he wasn’t wrong. “It’s something like a handicap that you learn how to live around. I’ll have to deal with this conscience and inability to compartmentalize and you’ll have to relearn self control and how to survive manic depression.” Vlad finished, his voice sarcastically chipper. He was almost afraid to feed again. There was no telling what would change next, what would grow through the connection between them. <br/><br/>Danny turned to the side, one leg folding onto the seat of the bench while his other hung off as he faced Vlad but didn’t meet his eyes. “It’s kinda fascinating from an outsider point of view. The transfer.” He said thoughtfully, absently staring at Vlad’s leg, more specifically at the seam of his pants, distracting himself from the man’s intense gaze and the fact that Vlad’s hand on the back of the bench was <em> almost </em> touching his shoulder. “Almost romantic too…” He said almost silently. <br/><br/>Almost. <br/><br/>“I suppose so…” Vlad agreed hesitantly. He couldn’t really help the wariness in his voice. Daniel had pretended to agree to join him on multiple occasions only for it to be a trap, even if he usually deserved it. It <em> was </em> different this time since they weren’t just talking about apprenticeship, but the distrust he had for hope was far too strong to shake so easily, even if he did have Danny’s naivety poisoning his core. <br/><br/>He couldn’t remember a time when someone was truly interested in him. Many suitors lined up once he gained his fortune, but none of them actually knew him for what he was. Vlad cast a side glance to the younger halfa, confused upon finding that deep stare locked onto him. Daniel had seen every single side of him and still believed he actually liked Vlad? Did he think Vlad would change that much? Or was it something else Danny saw in him that he couldn’t see for himself? <br/><br/>He simply couldn’t fathom Danny’s feelings. <br/><br/>So he had to destroy them. <br/><br/>Vlad stood, letting rings of black roll over him as he transformed. He grabbed a fist full of Danny’s suit, hauling him up by the collar and taking flight, dragging him high into the air. He slowed his breakneck speed only when they were a couple hundred feet up. <br/><br/>Danny jerked around in an attempt to get loose from Vlad’s grip. “What the hell?!” <br/><br/>Vlad looked down at him coldly. “I’m warning you now, Daniel. Don’t misunderstand this feeding exchange for something it isn’t. The very worst thing you can do to yourself is fall for someone like me.” <br/><br/>Danny looked confused, maybe a bit hurt, but that’s what Vlad wanted. The younger halfa opened his mouth to speak but only got out a scream as he seized up, ghostly energy flowing like painful electricity from Vlad and into Danny. <br/><br/>When Danny slumped in his grip, Plasmius brought him close, whispering darkly into his ear. “But fall if you must.” <br/><br/>And Vlad dropped him, flying away indifferently as Danny plummeted to the ground. <br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh nooooes, Danny...<br/>I love writing their angsty relationship. More to come *Dan dabbing*</p><p>Love to read your comments and thoughts, thanks for the continued support.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Two days after the fall.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took longer than usual. I wrote out like two chapters, hated it, had writer's block, then rewrote this one from scratch. Your lovely comments really helped me along, so thank you for always sharing your thoughts.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/>Danny laid curled up in the blankets on his bed, staring blankly at his phone in the dark. He had thirty-six text messages. Thirty-six.<br/><br/>He <em>had</em> holed himself up in his room for the last two days, but thirty-six was excessive, especially when he knew the texts could only be coming from like three people. Danny felt no desire to respond, but he supposed it was nice that they were concerned. It did make him feel bad for worrying them, but after his last encounter with Vlad he didn’t feel like interacting with anyone. He felt tired, almost grumpy. Okay, angry. He was angry at Vlad and he’d sat in his room for over forty-eight hours just smoldering over it.<br/><br/>Danny felt like an idiot for not seeing it coming. He should have fought harder when Plasmius first grabbed him and started taking them up that high. He should have kept up his guard like Tucker said. He should have anticipated the attack. Vlad was predictable in that he was <em>unpredictable</em> and <em>always up to no good</em>, so why did he let himself get dragged up there?<br/><br/>He supposed he’d unconsciously hoped for something… romantic? Danny groaned, feeling even more stupid at that thought because this was the same moron who Danny saw reading ‘Romance for Dummies’ when trying to woo his mother. The guy didn’t know a thing about romance, and here Danny thought they might take a fly together to gaze at the stars or something. The closest Vlad ever got to him was when they were trying to hurt each other.<br/><br/>Then again, fighting could be some weird form of ghost foreplay for all Danny knew. Wishful thinking, maybe.<br/><br/>To his slim credit, Vlad hadn’t actually used Plasmius-Maximus on him, otherwise Danny would be a full ghost right now, but it had still hurt, still felt like sticking a fork in a light socket. Vlad had used his ecto-energy to disrupt Danny’s core, stunning him and making his form flicker as he fell. The first hundred feet were the scariest, he couldn’t move and his form wasn’t solid but it was <em>falling</em> like he was made of rock and <em>fuck</em> why couldn’t he <em>fly?</em><br/><br/>He brought his energy into his hands to attempt to blast himself away from the earth like make-shift rockets but that made his core vibrate <em>painfully</em> so all he could do was slow himself down and try with all his might to turn intangible. That worked well enough, phasing him through the outer brick of an old office building, but he flickered back into a corporeal form and smashed up the interior pretty badly with his tumbling.<br/><br/>He laid on the carpet of that office for half an hour, just catching his breath and letting himself heal, but mostly thinking. He wasn’t totally clueless. It was obvious to him that Vlad was freaking out, that he didn’t know what to do when affection was directed at him and hey, it was so much easier to drop someone to their death than let the conversation teeter towards talking about their <em>feelings</em>.<br/><br/>Danny knew that Vlad could easily maneuver a conversation and avoid things he didn’t want to talk about, but taking him so high and dropping him had been a message in itself. Plasmius was telling him that he <em>could</em> and <em>would</em> hurt Danny, he was showing Danny that he was still just as dangerous as before, and Danny’s trust and affection only made it easier to trick him.<br/><br/>Most of him seethed and ached at the rejection, not to mention the fall, but a small part of him hoped that in some dark, fucked up way, Vlad was still trying to be a mentor. Vlad was trying to teach him something, and there was some lesson buried deep under such ‘evil’ actions, and Vlad <em>cared</em>.<br/><br/>Danny’d had to walk home after that, body sore and beat up, heart battered, ghost powers still recovering from the hostile ecto-energy Vlad had surged through him. When he finally made it back it was close to two in the morning and Jazz had been sitting on his bed, the perfect target...<br/><br/>“I heard something outside a while ago and I thought I saw you and Plasmius fly off, so I covered for you with mom and dad and- Are you okay? You look…”<br/><br/>“Like I fell through a building? I bet.” They both flinched as his NASA nightlight surged and burned out. Danny sighed, trying to calm down. “I just want to go to bed.” He was hurt and mad and tired and… He felt rebuffed and unwanted. By Vlad. The person who’d wanted him this entire time.<br/><br/>“Did you fight?” He gave her a look that said ‘What do you think?’ and she winced. “Was it because of- Was he still upset about-” And Danny didn’t even want to think about kissing that asshole’s stupid face right then but he <em>knew</em> that’s what she was talking about because she <em>wouldn’t</em> let it go.<br/><br/>“Just get out.” Danny growled low in his throat. She opened her mouth to say more but Danny didn’t want to hear it. “Get <em>out</em>.” And he knew his new power wouldn’t work on people but he’d felt the energy seep into his voice anyway, too worked up to control the spike in his core, much less his volume.<br/><br/>That was the last time anyone had entered his room. It was also the last time anyone left his room, save for two bathroom trips, because the last two days were a blur of simmering emotions and haunting nightmares and thoughts of Vlad and how Danny was <em>sure</em> he was back to hating him but he said that <em>every</em> time and he felt so conflicted. Why did he hurt so bad? He’d wronged Plasmius and the favor had just been returned, so everything should be back to normal.<br/><br/>But they didn’t have a ‘normal’ anymore and Danny didn’t know <em>what</em> to feel. How could one feel two starkly contrasting emotions at once? He knew the negativity was the influence of Vlad’s insidious spirit, but if he focused on his own feelings, as he’d been practicing, he found that he was <em>still</em> vexed by the man’s behavior. He felt crossed, betrayed, but that would imply that they were anything more than mortal enemies and Vlad had made it clear that just because they needed each other to maintain control of their ghostly forms didn’t mean they were friends now.<br/><br/>And it certainly didn’t mean they were <em>more</em> than friends.<br/><br/>The streetlight outside his window exploded and Danny curled further into his blankets, steadying his breath and trying to get a handle on his core so as not to blackout the whole neighborhood. He’d already shorted the one in his ceiling. His room was also freezing but it was too hard to reign in his leaking power right now. He assumed the rest of the house was pretty chilly as well, but only Jazz would know why and Danny was sure he’d scared her off <em>last</em> time she came knocking to check on him.<br/><br/>Danny knew he’d hurt her feelings, and he knew she just wanted to help, but talking just seemed like too much. Moving seemed like too much. He hadn’t showered or brushed his teeth. He’d only left his room to go to the bathroom twice, both times at night so he wouldn’t have to see anyone. The only time he spoke was to tell Jazz or his parents to go away and leave him alone when they came knocking.<br/><br/>Sam and Tucker noticed his distance as well, despite not being in the same house. Sam’s texts started off worried, then indignant, then worried again. Tucker was trying to play it cool but Danny could sense the underlying concern through his messages. Jazz had sent one long, heartfelt text about being there for him, followed by several links to various psychological articles that left him shaking his head and dropping his phone off the side of the bed.<br/><br/>They deserved an explanation. They deserved… something. Not this. He was letting Vlad get to him, and he was shutting out the people who cared about him just because he was in pain and couldn’t figure out how to deal with it. That wasn’t right. Danny wasn’t Vlad, and he wouldn’t let their ectoplasm predicament turn him into someone like Vlad, and he definitely wouldn’t let it turn him into <em>Dan</em> and-<br/><br/>He shut that thought right off. Clockwork said he wouldn’t. Dan isn’t human at all and Danny was still very much alive. At least half-alive. He really didn’t know for sure.<br/><br/>But he knew that what little humanity he had meant that he could recover from this. Sure, part of him would forever be frozen as a scared, dead fourteen year old begging to be rescued, but the rest of him would find a way to manage this. He’d managed new ghost powers and attributes before, he could do it again, even if his feelings made things complicated. Danny would prevail. Clockwork had faith in him. Danny had people who cared enough to reach out despite his rude attempts to ignore them. He just had to keep telling himself he could do this.<br/><br/>Danny sat up, the blankets falling to pool around his waist as he stared up at the neon stars stuck to his ceiling. He knew he was better than this. Vlad may wallow and brood, and they may share a penchant for moodiness, but Danny would never let hate or hopelessness corrupt him. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t let Plasmius bleed so far into him that he became a different person altogether. Thanks to Clockwork, Danny now knew the dark cloud looming over him wasn’t all his, and that made it easier to separate himself from it. This depression was nothing but a side-effect of having so much <em>Vlad</em> in him.<br/><br/>Acknowledging that, he got up and grabbed some clean clothes and silently stepped out of his room to go take a much needed shower, determined to get a hold of himself and learn something from this like Clockwork suggested. He could hear his sister in the kitchen downstairs, probably talking on the phone, but he ignored her, focusing on the white noise of the shower as he waited for it to heat up. Danny stepped inside and just stood there for a minute, letting the heat wash over him and watching the steam billow when the water met his cold skin.<br/><br/>He wanted to say the chill was just due to his emotional state, but he’d been feeling the tell-tale pulses from his core, growing more painful by the day. He avoided going ghost, since they felt even worse in that form, but luckily it hadn’t been much of an issue since ghosts didn’t often attack this close to Christmas. He knew the pain wouldn’t be going away on its own though, and eventually he <em>would</em> have to go ghost, which meant that he’d have to face Vlad much sooner than he wanted to. Danny knew he needed to feed, he knew that was why he was losing control, so he couldn’t just ignore like he had before the feeding first started, when feeding wasn’t a thing he had to think about..<br/><br/>Ah, simpler times. If he could go back, he would have told Clockwork no, that Vlad could either save himself and go about his normal, diabolical business, or become a mindless ecto-feeder and go on his rampage until they eventually stopped him.<br/><br/>But then people and ghosts alike would get hurt, just as the timekeeper said. Danny and Clockwork both knew that he couldn’t let that happen. If Vlad <em>did</em> manage to escape, and not lose his humanity to his ghost-hunger, then he likely would have done so and successfully finished his time machine and <em>ruined</em> their timeline with his domestic fantasies or something of the like. He couldn’t let that happen either.<br/><br/>At least with the feeding fiasco the man was decently occupied. Danny felt a flair of hope and giddiness at the thought that maybe Vlad found this, <em>him</em>, more entertaining than time travel, but he squashed it down. Why would he feel <em>flattered</em> by that?<br/><br/>But he knew why. He’d seen Vlad’s strange dream about having their family and their love, and he knew Vlad intended to secure that scenario with time travel, so the thought that Vlad had dropped those plans because <em>this</em> shitshow was worth more of his time and attention than securing a brighter, albeit simpler future? That Vlad would rather work out his current, ever complicated timeline than jump over to one with picket fences and family dinners?<br/><br/>Danny almost felt… accomplished? That was a safe word to use. He told himself it was because he’d successfully completed Clockwork’s mission and extinguished Vlad’s plans to jump ship, but it felt like something else too. Even if he was mad at the other halfa, even if he did still kind of hate him for the other night, he relished the attention, the idea that Vlad was probably thinking about him even right now, like he had been since they met.<br/><br/>Danny paused in shampooing his hair, remembering last week at dinner when his mother had playfully touched Vlad’s arm. He hadn’t blushed or flirted or even smirked triumphantly over at Danny. He’d stared almost blankly, like he was lost by the action. Now that Danny thought about it, Vlad hadn’t tried anything with his mom in over... two, maybe three years? Sure, he made jokes and comments about it to get under Danny’s skin, but that was just it. It was meant to antagonize Danny and nothing more.<br/><br/>Vlad hadn’t invited, or even outright kidnapped her off to some obscure location. He hadn’t even really hung around all that much. The dinner had probably been pleasant for his parents, having not seen him in so long. It had been weird to see them almost enjoying themselves with Vlad, but it had been freaky to see Vlad enjoying himself too. Unless he was faking.<br/><br/>It didn’t seem like it though. His psychotic obsession with his college friends seemed to melt away into something almost… amicable? Maybe even healthy? But Danny could swear that Vlad’s entire ghostly fixation was revenge and destroying Jack and winning Maddie because it was all he’d ever talked about until recently.<br/><br/><em>Until recently...</em><br/><br/>It was almost like his obsession was changing. Halfas or not, they were still ghosts, so they were quite literally bound to be consumed by some obsession or another. Vlad hadn’t looked very homicidal at dinner until he’d been in the hallway with Danny, so the hostility towards his father must have faded as well.<br/><br/>Danny felt his heartbeat speed up as he thought that maybe Vlad was becoming consumed with him, but he couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear. Perhaps it was a good thing that Vlad didn’t think of him <em>like that</em>. Plasmius was the type to lock the object of his affections in a dungeon forever. Or maybe Vlad <em>was</em> starting to catch feelings for him and was just acting out, like the evil, overgrown toddler he is.<br/><br/>Vlad dropping him to his death was likely his desperate attempt of salvaging normalcy, just as his initial attack that night had been to prove to himself that he was still ‘him’, still that ‘bad guy’ he was trying to be. Only it was obvious that he was actively trying and his normally villainous deeds were not as effortless as they were before.<br/><br/>Danny couldn’t say he was really feeling like his normal merciful self either though, because he was kind of glad this was grating on Vlad. Danny was glad that the man had his guilt and empathy because if anyone deserved it, it was Plasmius. He hoped it was eating Vlad alive. He hoped the man’s nightmares had gotten worse and he hoped Vlad dreamed of him and felt <em>bad</em>.<br/><br/>That last thought brought a slight blush to his cheeks. Okay, maybe he also hoped dreaming of him would make Vlad feel something else as well, but only if it taught him a lesson!<br/><br/>Danny sighed, turning off the shower and stepping out to dry off. He really wished he could read the man’s mind. If only the exchange let them trade thoughts as well, then he could fully understand what was going on in that jerk’s twisted brain. Danny <em>could</em> just <em>make</em> Vlad tell him. He could whisper a few ghostly commands and make Vlad answer all of his burning questions just like that…<br/><br/><em>No.</em> Danny thought firmly,<em> Definitely not.</em><br/><br/>And it was just because he didn’t want to do something bad, to stoop to Vlad’s level, not because the idea of hurting someone who was already so damaged made him want to gouge his heart out. <em>Definitely not.</em> He repeated silently.<br/><br/>Vlad had said it himself, that it was foolish for Danny to have feelings for him. His friends were right too. He should have tried harder to smother the feelings, suffocate them before he got hurt.<br/><br/>But he did get hurt.<br/><br/>Danny groaned as his core buzzed in response to his inner turmoil, the bathroom light making a high-pitched noise as it flickered. He quickly calmed himself, not wanting to lose yet another light bulb to his core spikes if he could help it, and flipped the switch off as he walked out into the hall. He saw Jazz freeze on her way up the stairs much like she had when she’d walked up on him and Vlad. She looked decidedly less scared, but still very cautious as she continued her way up, one eyebrow quirked in subdued concern.<br/><br/>“Hey…” She said softly, “How are you feeling?” and the tone made Danny feel like the biggest dick, especially when he saw her ugly reindeer sweater and realized today was Christmas eve.<br/><br/>“Sorry…” He answered honestly, because he <em>did</em> feel sorry. He should never have yelled at her, especially when all she wanted to do was help. She just nodded, understanding as ever, walking up to wrap her arms loosely around his shoulders as he tried to explain himself.<br/><br/>“I just got some weird news from Clockwork, then Vlad showed up out of nowhere…” He mumbled into her shoulder. She waddled them a little further down the hall, squeezing him and not releasing her hold. It made Danny smile.<br/><br/>“So you guys duked it out? What set him off?” She remembered the beat up state her brother had returned home in that night.<br/><br/>Danny gave a dry laugh into her shoulder, “What doesn’t set him off?” But Jazz still looked down at him expectantly and he heaved a sigh. “He… basically figured out what Clockwork had to spell out for me. Apparently when we feed, we’re… It’s like we’re trading information? But ghostly information, from our cores. The way we are, the way we think. Since his ghost is an angry, lonely, evil bastard, and mine is… not, we’re starting to clash and it’s been hard to deal with and feel like this and…” He didn’t even know where to go with it, knowing that it was too much to explain, too many nuanced feelings and reactions.<br/><br/>Luckily Jazz picked up some slack, “Is that why you’ve been such a grouchy mope? The energy you traded with Vlad is making you… feel like him?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, putting his hand out in front of him and moving it in a ‘so-so’ fashion. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I had a valid reason to be pissed off, but I didn’t have to be such a dick to <em>you</em>…” He looked over at her, “I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you… and Tucker and Sam…”<br/><br/>She jolted, as if just remembering something, “Oh! That’s why I came up here! Sam and Tucker are down stairs."<br/><br/>Danny cringed a bit, decidedly more afraid of Sam’s wrath than he had been of Vlad’s. “Then we should get down there before Sam-”<br/><br/>“Danny if you’re giving Jazz a hard time I swear I will-” She stopped when she saw them standing there, Jazz still hugging him tightly even though his arms had fallen limp.<br/><br/>“Hey…” Danny said softly, barely meeting her eyes as he pulled out of Jazz’s hold..<br/><br/>Sam’s face hardened again at the sound of his voice, “Don’t ‘hey’ me! What’s going on? Are you okay? Why haven’t you answered your phone-”<br/><br/>Tuck came up behind her, placing a grounding hand on her shoulder. “Sam, chill!” He said with a weary half-grin, “I’m sure now that we’ve effectively cornered him he’ll spill. Right, Danny-my-man?” Tucker gave him a slightly pleading look that said he’d been dealing with Sam’s antics alone for a little too long. <br/><br/>“Right…” Danny repeated, hesitant at first. “I, uh, it’s been a rough couple of days…” He motioned for them to follow him to his room, shutting the door behind him and taking a deep, soothing breath.<br/><br/>He summed up his conversation with Clockwork, trying his best but failing to glaze over all of the references to his future fusion despite each of them being familiar with the story. Danny had always been pretty closed off to talking about Dan, any mention of the alternate timeline giving Danny a haunted stare. It was hard to fathom that a ghost that was even <em>part</em> Danny was capable of such mass destruction, and even harder for Danny to convey it, judging by his masterful avoidance of discussing his future self.<br/><br/>They were glad Clockwork seemed to have gotten through to him.<br/><br/>“Eh, the exchange kinda makes sense.” Tucker shrugged casually. “You are what you eat.” He grinned upon receiving three deadpan stares.<br/><br/>Sam blinked and moved so that she stood in front of him, effectively kicking him out of their circle of conversation. “So anyway, there’s a lesson, and there’s a plan, but Clockwork can’t fully see it?” That didn’t sound like Clockwork to her...<br/><br/>“Maybe it’s more like he sees it but can’t tell you?” Jazz suggested, Sam nodding in agreement. Now <em>that</em> sounded like Clockwork.<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, a sudden spark of anger coursing through him, “I dunno, I was going to ask but stupid <em>Plasmius</em> showed up, ectoplasm blazing. Clockwork disappeared right as he shot at us.” He said with a grumble, spitting the other halfa’s name like a curse.<br/><br/>Sam frowned, “He scared off Clockwork? <em>Clockwork</em>?”<br/><br/>That brought a sarcastic smile to his face, faking a short laugh, “Ha, no way. He probably left so he wouldn’t have to <em>deal</em> with Vlad. I get the feeling their relationship is a complicated one, and it’s best to keep Vlad and all matters of ‘time’ far apart, especially after the last time he and C-dub met...” His mind flashed to their last battle before Vlad’s capture, before all of this, the halfa barreling into Clockwork’s lair, seemingly without any real plan aside from stealing Clockwork’s staff.<br/><br/>This time Sam was the one to huff, “Yeah, honestly, that’s probably wise. Vlad time traveling is always a nightmare.” She growled, likely remembering the incident with the infimap when Vlad almost had her burned alive.<br/><br/>“Yeah…” Danny agreed, “Then we fought of course…” He said grimly. They frowned at the crestfallen look on his face.<br/><br/>“That’s nothin’ new, right?” Tucker asked, not understanding why that seemed to bum his friend out so badly. Danny shrugged.<br/><br/>“Well, we were talking about all this stuff that came to light and I thought we were, I dunno, cool? He was saying that it was hard to do the things he used to do when my energy’s running through him, and honestly, I can definitely relate because dealing with his shit isn’t exactly <em>fun</em>.” Vlad was a real basket-case but Danny would be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad for the other ghost. He hated it, but he did.<br/><br/>“And I…” Danny paused, not sure if he wanted to admit he was dumb enough to <em>confess</em> to his archenemy. He felt a little stupid for telling Vlad he had feelings for him, but he’d feel like a complete dumbass if he told his friends about it. They’d warned him after all. Sam wouldn’t say it out loud but he knew she’d just be thinking ‘I told you so’, and that wasn’t something he could handle at the moment. “Anyway, he just grabbed me and flew us up into the sky and zapped me, then he dropped me.” His voice shook at the end when he thought about it, how helpless he’d felt on the way down.<br/><br/>The fear must have shown on his face because his friends stared sadly at him and Jazz was squeezing at his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me that, Danny…”<br/><br/>He shrugged, dislodging her hand. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I felt so dumb for not expecting it. I was angry and…” Hurt, but he couldn’t say that, not even to them. “It was just Vlad’s dark cloud. I wanted to be alone and deal with it, not hurt you guys…” He’d ended up doing it anyway if their somber expressions were anything to go by. “I’d ask Vlad how he copes but I don’t think he does. He’d probably just tell me to do crime. Or drink.” Vlad did like his liquor. “We just have to figure out how to deal with each other’s shit…”<br/><br/>Jazz leaned over and rubbed his back, insistent on physical contact. Part of him wondered if she was doing one of her psychology things. “This is a good step, little brother. Remember, you have people to talk to who love you and want to help you. That’s what makes this doable. Vlad didn’t have this support system, so crime, obsession and Brandy were the only things he could do on his own.” She smiled when he managed to look up at her, hopeful. Maybe she was getting through to him?<br/><br/>Her brother blinked owlishly at her before he began to scowl in evident jealousy. “Who’s ‘Brandy’?” He grumbled.<br/><br/>Okay, maybe she <em>wasn’t</em> getting through to him...<br/><br/>She stared blankly at him, “Danny, that’s a kind of alcohol-” She stopped when she saw the tiny smirk that pulled on his lips at his little joke. Jazz shook her head fondly.<br/><br/>“Glad you’re back to your funnies, dork.” She laid her hand on his shoulder, this time not being shrugged off, “But seriously, you have plenty of listening ears if you need to talk.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, we’re here for you man.” Tucker said, giving Danny a pat on the back.<br/><br/>Sam nodded with him, “But you can’t shut us out, Danny. Otherwise it will just hurt like this and you won’t learn anything, you won’t figure out how to get past this and live your life. We want to help you.” His gaze drifted to the side, avoiding theirs.<br/><br/>“Danny…” Jazz mumbled with a frown, “Just because you’re stuck with his… traits, doesn’t mean you have to deal with them the same way, much less alone. Don’t make the same mistakes Vlad did. You have us at the very least.” Sam and Tucker nodded in agreement, the two of them flanking Danny and sandwiching him in a hug.<br/><br/>Tucker slapped his back almost too hard, “Glad you’re doin’ okay, man.” He pulled a box from his backpack and presented it to Danny, “This might keep the good feels going. Merry Christmas my dude.” Danny looked from the box to Tucker, then to Sam who seemed just as excited for him to tear into it.<br/><br/>He started smiling despite the shitty mood his core was pervading through him, ripping the wrapping off and tossing the lid to the giftbox aside. His eyebrows shot up as he pulled out a sleek black and green tube, about the size of…<br/><br/>“Is this a fucking fleshlight?”<br/><br/>Jazz choked and promptly left the room as the three friends cracked up.<br/><br/>“Oh, my god, no.” Sam wheezed, “It’s a new thermos! Tucker, tell him!” Their other friend was still rolling on the floor.<br/><br/>“It’s… ahaha… It’s the Phantom Thermos! Besides, if we were going to get you a fleshlight, it would definitely be in blue.” Danny’s head cocked to the side in confusion, only understanding when Sam quietly moaned ‘Oh, Plasmius~’ under her breath. His eyes shot wide and he slammed a hand over her mouth, failing to contain her thoroughly amused giggles. He was almost sweating and he just <em>knew</em> his face was bright red.</p><p>Tucker was rolling again, trying his hardest to form words. “I’ve -aha- been working on it for like six months.” He wiped a tear, eventually standing and taking it from Danny to show him the features. “It’s a lot less bulky, and it has way more pull. Same concept, really, but ghosts can’t be released from it unless the thermos is in the ‘Zone.”<br/><br/>Danny nodded, thoroughly impressed. No wonder it had taken six months. How had Tucker pulled that off? “So no more accidental escapes?”<br/><br/>“Exactly.” Tucker said, not without a hint of pride. “At least not in the land of the living. Plus we don’t have to steal the Fenton Thermos and listen to your dad complain about how ghosts keep disappearing his shit.” He jerked his thumb over to their goth companion. “Sam got me all the materials, so it’s from the both of us. Technus told me to tell you he helped, but only if he didn’t get sucked into it.”</p><p>Danny shrugged, “Eh, we’ll see how well he behaves.”<br/><br/>Sam hooked her arm around Tucker’s and gave a light tug, “Well, we just wanted to come make sure you’re okay, but we gotta go back to the fam. Just don’t ghost us anymore!”<br/><br/>Danny grinned, “You punned! You punned for me!”<br/><br/>“Yeah, Merry Christmas InvisoBill.” Sam wrapped her other arm around his neck and gave a small squeeze before she turned to leave, taking a waving Tucker along with her.<br/><br/>Danny sat down on his bed when he heard the front door shut, a small weight lifting from his chest. He played with the thermos, turning it on and off, inspecting the build.<br/><br/>“You really have great friends.” He looked up to see Jazz standing in the doorway.<br/><br/>He smiled up at her, “Yeah, I do. Wanna come check out my new toy?”<br/><br/>Jazz looked skeptical, “Your fleshlight? I think I’ll pass.” And Danny snorted as she sat down next to him anyway, sharing his excitement for his new ghost weapon. She was so thankful to have her little brother back, the last two days being as rough as they were. She’d missed his smile. Danny deserved a break, a real holiday with his family.<br/><br/>She hoped that maybe for once they’d have a decent Christmas, one without ghosts or fighting about Santa or faulty lab experiments.<br/><br/>Then the doorbell rang.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/><em> Vlad’s eyes blinked open to the dark night sky, nothing but the moon and the stars in sight. He narrowed his glowing gaze, wondering where he was and how he’d gotten there when the familiar sound of choking brought his attention down, right in front of him where he held Danny’s dangling form just above the clouds. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> This was… from the other night. Before he could manage another thought, the boy in front of him convulsed, Vlad’s pink ectoplasmic energy attempting to fry his core. Plasmius jerked his hand away, watching in horror as the young halfa plummeted. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He stayed frozen for only a moment, shooting down at his top speed to catch Phantom but unable to reach him. It didn’t make sense. He was definitely flying faster than Daniel was falling, so why couldn’t he catch the boy? Vlad’s gloved fingers were right there, he could feel the ends of Danny’s white hair, he was so close. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He pushed harder, stretching his arm and grabbing the neck of Danny’s suit, nearly choking him again but that didn’t matter. He got him. He saved him. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He saved him? </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Suddenly he felt a hand around his own throat. Vlad’s eyes clenched shut at the choking sensation. When he opened them he found Danny staring back at him, all fangs and glowing eyes that promised a painful death. He closed his eyes again just so he wouldn’t have to see them, but when he opened them a second time he found himself in his bedroom. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad looked around, disoriented at first until he realized why everything looked so high up. He was sitting on his knees, hands tied behind his back. He was both surprised and impressed at the gall of his captor. Who would be dumb enough to capture him in his own damn mansion? </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Then Daniel walked out from behind him. Vlad suddenly became aware of just how vulnerable he was in that moment. Danny’s face was just as unforgiving as it was when they were falling. He waited for the biting remark, the jibes and insults, but Daniel was silent. The aura around him was foreboding and almost visible and Vlad felt uncharacteristically small and insignificant. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Daniel, I-” He was silenced as Danny’s hands wrapped around his neck again. Glowing green eyes glared down at him hatefully, squeezing his throat closed. Vlad realized he was in human form, now unable to breath or fight or resist or do </em> anything <em> without Danny’s say so. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “I’m so-rry!” He croaked, and he meant it. He really did. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> The hands loosened, a strange jolt of energy washing over Vlad as Phantom became Fenton. He looked up, never more thankful to see those expressive blue eyes. He shifted, knees still folded uncomfortably underneath him. “Daniel,” He whispered, leaning forward as the hands slipped past his shoulders, arms wrapping around his neck in a loose embrace. It felt nice, much nicer than being strangled, and the relief he felt at not being murdered was the only excuse he could think of for relaxing so freely in Danny’s hold. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Danny’s body was slightly cool to the touch, but definitely not as cold as his ghost form. It felt pleasant to bury his overheated face into the crook of Danny’s neck. “Daniel, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so cruel…” The image of Danny falling so far had yet to leave his mind be. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He felt Danny stand and panic bloomed in his chest, quickly turning into something else when a hand tangled itself in his locks and pulled his head back. Danny stared down at him, and Vlad was forced to meet his intense gaze. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Danny’s other hand came up to his face and he flinched, thoroughly confused when fingers began gliding over his cheek with feather light touches. “You look handsome like this…” And the empty, haunted quality to Danny’s voice definitely took some of the heat out of it, but Vlad was beginning to see where this was going. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> As if reading his mind, Danny smirked and jerked his head back further before smashing his mouth over Vlad’s. He tried to rear back and escape at first but found he could do nothing further than lay on his back, and that wouldn’t be a very effective escape so he surrendered and stayed still. Besides, Daniel’s lips were actually stunningly warm, which was strange and intriguing and… a little intoxicating. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> The harsh pull of his hair and the gentle caresses to his face together with Daniel’s heady kiss was making it hard to think. How did they get there? Why couldn’t he turn into Plasmius? Hadn’t he just been Plasmius when they were in the air? Why did this feel so good? </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “This is… quite the change of scenery since my last visit.” Vlad’s eyes popped open at the sound of another voice, unaware he’d closed them. He broke away from Daniel, baffled when the boy actually let him. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Dream Daniel seemed much more demanding than Real Daniel. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Nocturn loomed over them, a heavily amused smirk on his face as he eyed the scene. “Much has happened since our last meeting.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad rolled his eyes, rocking back on his heels and pushing himself up to stand now that the spell of the dream was broken and he could think clearly again. “You’re even worse than Clockwork, I hope you know that.” He jumped when he felt Daniel behind him, the boy surprising him by untying his hands before vanishing. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He must have looked put out because Nocturn grinned, leaning down into his personal space, “I can bring him back if you really want me to.” Vlad growled, not keen on the ghost’s tone. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Shut up. It’s just a dream and you know that. I will not be teased by Mr. Sandman of all ghosts.” And he wanted Nocturn to glare or fight him, but he was left to deflate as the large entity simply chuckled at him, seemingly above such banter. That was what he hated most about Nocturn and Clockwork- they thought they were so much larger than life, so much more powerful and special, always looking down on him. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> The soft laughter stopped, “I don’t look down on you, Plasmius. I quite enjoy you; your thoughts, your dreams, your wild ambitions. They’re all very complex and fascinating. Clockwork mostly agrees, save for your antics of course. It’s when you stick your nose into </em> <b> <em>our</em> </b> <em> business that things get tricky.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad grimaced, “Well I don’t need Clockwork’s permission to dabble in time-” </em></p><p><em> “You do if you want it to work in your favor. Danny Phantom has no qualms working with these ‘restrictions’, as your mind so eloquently puts it.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad folds his arms, voice mocking. “Well, Danny Phantom is just the perfect little errand boy, isn’t he? Always willing to do someone’s bidding. Excuse me if I have my own agenda.” Nocturn smiles knowingly in a way that makes Vlad wish he could reach up and smack it off the ghost’s face. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “That’s precisely why Clockwork stopped interacting with you. Your agenda is rarely supportive of the greater good.” Vlad laughed. “But it seems as though your motivations are… shifting.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad brought his hands to his face, trying to reign in his frustration. The thought of Nocturn rooting around in his subconscious made him want to set his entire mansion on fire. “If you’ve seen it all then what the hell do you want? Get on with it so I can wake up.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Your dreams have changed quite a bit since you began feeding from Danny Phantom.” Vlad frowned, hands dropping from his face to ball up at his sides. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> It was true, of course. Most of it had just been more nightmares, his mind seemingly no longer able to carry the burden of the sinful exploits of his past. Just last night he’d dreamed of the time he’d gutted a man right there in his office, the first living, breathing human he’d murdered in cold blood. He'd snapped and shot straight past overshadowing the fool. It had been strictly business, the man had been trying to blackmail him after all, so he’d never felt anything outside of satisfaction when he thought about it. Instead of the typical glee that was associated with the memory, he’d felt… fear? Horror. The man’s desperate cries hit him in a way that they hadn’t when he’d actually been there, angry and in the moment. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He’d had another dream of his father beating his mother, then turning to face him, a child, approaching ever so slowly. </em><em><br/></em></p><p>
  <em> That one had somehow been so much worse than any of his others.</em>
</p><p><em> Vlad shook his head violently, “I’m aware.” He bit out. “My core has absorbed some of his nature, mostly his fear and insecurity it seems.” Vlad didn’t know why he felt the need to explain the changes, especially since Nocturn had undoubtedly frolicked through his head before appearing in this dream. He felt defensive, almost ashamed, as if the other ghost might think less of him after seeing his state of mind. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Perhaps you are more susceptible to those particular parts of his influence, but the neuroses themselves belong solely to you. After all, why would young Danny dream about Victor Masters?” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad tensed, wanting to yell and scream not to say that man’s name but knowing that it would only give away how much it still rattled him. “Fair enough.” He said instead, voice schooled into calm indifference. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “The subject of Danny Phantom’s greatest nightmare is much more terrifying.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad fixed him with a slightly incredulous stare, wondering why Nocturn would say something like that, why he would tease Vlad with that bit of information when nothing had prompted the statement. Did he want Vlad to ask about it? It did make him curious. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Danny had died so young, and he faced countless ghosts so far in his short time as a halfa, so it was only natural that terror was ingrained into his very core to some degree. Vlad could only imagine what Daniel’s greatest fear looked like after all that he’d seen. </em></p><p><em> Part of Vlad hoped it was him, while another part of him hated the idea. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Show me.” Vlad demanded, but Nocturn only laughed, a dark clawed hand coming to hold his middle. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “This is why Clockwork no longer comes to you. You’re quite entitled.” Vlad’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Then why even mention it?”<br/><br/></em><em> Nocturn loomed over him once again, “So that you can ask young Daniel yourself. You must understand each other’s core if you want to gain strength from it.” He said in his mysterious rasp. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad’s arms folded, stubbornly jerking his head to the side and away from the large being. “I do not wish to speak to Daniel.” And he didn’t have to be facing Nocturn to know the ghost was smiling at him. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “That’s not what your dreams say…” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Vlad flinched as Danny appeared before him, smirking as if to remind him of their heated kiss from earlier. They both looked over at Nocturn’s growing form, the night sky of his body enveloping the room. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Your dreams can’t lie, especially not to me. You pushing Danny Phantom away isn’t to protect yourself- you’re doing it because you think you’re protecting him. All of your terrible deeds are coming back to haunt you, and you want to prevent yet another from being committed, should you entertain Daniel’s infatuation.” Vlad shook his head, barely fighting the urge to slap his hands over his ears. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “I will not!” He yelled defiantly, baring his teeth at the now massive spirit. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Nocturn’s smile turned almost piteous, “That’s surprisingly noble of you, Plasmius. It seems Phantom’s conscience is quite powerful, to be affecting you so. I can’t wait to see what you become.” And Vlad is about to rage on about how he would never change, about how he wouldn’t ever have Daniel in ‘that way’, but he was stopped short by the feeling of a chaste kiss to his jaw, all of his words falling away. He gaped down at Danny, looking so sweet and genuine and… </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> He fought the fluttery feeling in his chest, knowing it had to be Nocturn’s manipulation. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> The ghost’s face was nowhere in sight amongst the blackness but a laugh echoed through the room, now completely covered in darkness and stars. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “You know I don’t manipulate the content of your dream, I just make it happen. It’s much more entertaining for me when you realize that these feelings are your own and no one else’s.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> The stars all begin to gravitate towards Vlad and he awkwardly attempts to back away and sidestep them, kicking his leg when they start crawling up his form. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “The faster you accept what is happening, the faster the both of you will conquer it. He’s going to need you, Plasmius.” And the blackness consumed him.<br/><br/><br/><br/></em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, your comments give me life. Please tell me what you think, especially if this fic brings you suffering. I do enjoy suffering.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Favor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad deals with the aftereffects of both his dream and his actions.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Vlad gasped, kicking off his blankets as if the stars from his dream were still spidering up his legs. He slammed his fist into the mattress, then into the bedpost when that wasn’t satisfying enough. Only when the wood splintered and his hand throbbed did he relent, crawling out of bed and stomping across the room to his bathroom.<br/><br/>It was early evening now, Vlad having needed a nap after his sleep cycle was interrupted by multiple consecutive nightmares the night before. He’d planned on being up all night anyway. Midnight kicked off the Christmas truce in the Ghost Zone, and it would be Ghostwriter’s first year to be invited since he’d broken said truce four years ago. They'd never really bothered to attend even when they were welcome before, neither of them really caring about alliances, much less holiday festivities, but since he was now formally welcomed again, Andrew seemed to be almost excited about Christmas this year. Naturally he’d offered to hold the actual party in his library, and he had nearly gushed about being included again, eagerly inviting Vlad to come and experience it for the first time. </p><p>While Vlad had no desires to mingle with the lesser beings of the Ghost Zone, he knew everyone else present would be quite caught up in the party, making it the perfect time for Vlad to go steal back his treasured book on Pariah Dark. Ghostwriter would be too distracted with his efforts to be a good host to even realize Vlad was up to something, and he’d invited him after all.<br/><br/>Vlad was smirking to himself as he passed the threshold into his bathroom, only for it to drop when he caught himself in the mirror.</p><p>His hair was a mess from tossing and turning throughout his fitful rest, and one look at his bone-weary face had him flinching away. Nocturn had been right about his nightmares, that they were changing and affecting him, and he hated everything about it. It wasn’t just on the inside, either. It was evident in his eyes, the dark circles under them more pronounced than they usually were, making him look nearly as dead in this form as he did in his ghostly one.<br/><br/>Some of the dreams he'd been having genuinely frightened him, and that level of fear was so foreign to him after all these years around ghosts, <em> being </em> a ghost, that he almost didn't know what to do with it. Others were painful in different ways, simply dredging up old skeletons he’d tried to forget. Admittedly, a couple of them had just been of Daniel, which was perfectly normal if one considered the amount of the boy’s energy Vlad flowing in him. Perfectly. Normal.<br/><br/>Most of those dreams had been replays of their previous battles anyway, only this time they seemed to slow whenever he caught the boy’s eyes and could read every ounce of hate and fear and betrayal there. It made him ache, knowing he’d derived such glee from it before, from being the cause of those feelings. Among them was also an unmistakable excitement though, and the thought that Danny enjoyed their fights just as much as Vlad did was like a balm to his heart when it got too caught up in the previous emotions. And that was normal too.</p><p>And then there were the couple dreams where his imagination got away from him.<br/><br/>His face burned as he remembered what Nocturn had ‘walked in’ on. The thought of Daniel tying him down that way made his stomach flip in dark delight and he shivered. He shouldn’t like that. Not at all.<br/><br/><em> That </em> hadn’t been normal in the least, or so easily explained away by the exchange. There was no real excuse to justify why those thoughts seemed to light a fire within him. Danny’s arms around him <em> shouldn’t </em> have felt so nice. Remembering that kiss definitely <em> shouldn’t </em> be making him yearn for it in real life.<br/><br/>He <em> shouldn’t </em> be wondering if being restrained like that would actually be that exciting… He’d done so to Danny multiple times, in a different setting and objective of course, but what if the tables turned?<br/><br/>With that in mind, Vlad started up the shower, desperately wanting that flame in him to be doused in ice-cold water but not wanting to fog every mirror in his mansion when it met his overheated skin, so he settled for the hot stream, hoping it would do well enough to get his mind away from such improper thoughts. At this point, even if he tried lukewarm it would probably turn his bathroom into a sauna with the current state of his core. </p><p>He usually didn’t run this hot in his human form, but with his ghostly essence changing so drastically he figured he was bound to experience a few anomalies while he adjusted. It hadn’t even been a week and his core energy was already spiking, as it often does right before it plummets and brings about the symptoms of ghost hunger, but he didn't want to think about feeding right then. Feeding made him think about Daniel, thinking about Daniel made him feel overwhelming guilt for what he’d done to the boy the other night, about all of the fights and deceptions Vlad was having to analyze in his sleep now that they were coming back to haunt him. There was an uncomfortable yearning to reach out, to rectify his actions and comfort the undoubtedly wounded half-ghost.<br/><br/>He groaned, absolutely <em> hating </em> the feeling. Remorse was something he doubted he’d ever get used to. He aggressively washed his body, scrubbing almost too hard in his frustration at the feeling of being so weighed down. When he got out of the shower he found that the mirror had still fogged, despite his efforts to keep the water scalding hot. He’d have to feed soon, then. Vlad dressed himself in a bitter daze and made his way down to his lab to distract himself from the irritable buzzing of his core, busying his hands by starting with the construction of a generator for his time machine.<br/><br/>He continued with building the machine again after seeing Ghostwriter, the ghost having loaned him a few books about time travel after their revelation. After brushing up on that, Vlad had decided to construct the generator himself, now having the time and energy to do so since he was no longer under the time crunch of an intolerably unstable core. Presently he just needed to get his mind off the boy and remain productive, to try and find a way out of this problem of theirs. His ventures towards a substitution serum had been a bust, and he despised the thought that they’d actually gotten into a situation that he, Vlad Plasmius, couldn’t remedy. He was a clever, tricky, and oftentimes unstoppable man who could find his way out of anything- but apparently not this.<br/><br/>Unless he made sure ‘this’ never happened. He wouldn’t go so far back in time that he prevents his powers from happening. No, that had been a desperate wish from when he was falling apart at the seams, unable to feed properly or understand <em> why </em> that was<em>. </em> Being ghost had been a part of him for nearly half his life by now, it was who he defined himself as, and when it wasn’t ripping him apart it was <em> beyond </em> advantageous, so he had no more plans of going back to stop the proto-portal incident. Instead, Vlad would just go back to some time before Daniel’s eighteenth birthday and capture him before his core began its maturation, siphoning the younger halfa’s ectoplasm and making <em> damn </em> sure Danny never got a taste for his.<br/><br/>That was the plan for now, at least. He was still working out the details, fully aware Daniel wouldn’t let it be that easy, so for now he kept it somewhat bare bones until he could evaluate each and every possibility. He’d have to make sure Danny consumed some other ectoplasm first, see what happened when his core wasn’t synced to Vlad’s. Would Danny tolerate the other sample then? The boy had been able to ‘sense’ him in the Ghost Zone when Walker had him, and that was before he’d ever bitten Vlad, so how linked were they outside of feeding? Would he keep Danny captive for these experiments? Would Danny allow the experiments otherwise? These were the questions he’d go back to answer, he just had to make Danny of the past cooperate with him, then they’d go from there. He was <em> sure </em> he could figure everything out if he could just get ahead of it.<br/><br/>He tried not to think about how the plan would affect Danny himself, how it might hurt him or disrupt his future. Those thoughts were unbearably uncomfortable for some reason, like he was betraying the boy again just by considering his preliminary plans.<br/><br/>Vlad’s thoughts trailed off as his phone buzzed atop his tray of tools. Who would be contacting him at five in the evening? On Christmas Eve?<br/><br/>His lips pulled downward at the caller i.d., reading Fenton Works. “Hello?” He spoke charmingly into the phone.<br/><br/>“Hello? Vlad?” It was Maddie.<br/><br/>Why would Maddie be calling him? They’d had a nice dinner, maybe she was calling to chide him for leaving without saying goodbye? But that was two days ago… “Ah, hello Madeleine, to what do I owe the pleasure?”<br/><br/>She seemed to hesitate, “Well, first of all, Merry Christmas, of course.” she said pleasantly. He returned the greeting, curiosity evident enough in his tone to prompt her to continue. “I’m calling mostly because, well, Danny…” Vlad felt himself tense, grateful that no one was around to witness him seize up so obviously at the mention of his name. What had the brat blabbed to her?<br/><br/>He heard her suck her teeth in agitation, “Danny’s not exactly happy-go-lucky all the time, but he’s been more down in the dumps than usual lately, Jack and I are really concerned… He’s aggressive, and he’s isolating himself. We’re worried, but he doesn’t talk to us about much at all, much less about how he feels. We try, but he’s just so closed off to us, and apparently he won’t even talk to Jazz anymore... And, well, you know a lot more than we do about that sort of thing…” Vlad’s eyebrows shot up. Over their college years, Maddie and Jack had witnessed quite a few highs and lows from him, and they were really the only two people who were aware of his struggles in the mental health department. He suspects that was why Maddie hadn’t just outright shot him after the incident in Colorado…<br/><br/>And now she was seeing those things in Daniel? His discontentment was so apparent that she thought her son was mentally ill? He supposed Danny <em> would </em> be left quite upset after what Vlad did… That being thrown in with the strain of their energy transfer and all of its ensuing changes would surely put the younger halfa in quite the head-space. Was she looking for advice on how to help?<br/><br/>Vlad frowned, preparing to turn her down since there <em> was </em> no advice for him to give, otherwise he would have taken it himself since he was in the same boat. She didn’t even know about their ghostly history, so while he did have quite a bit of experience with the subject at hand, he was lost as to what would make her think Danny would want to talk to <em> him </em> of all people about his emotional state. “Maddie, I’m not sure I’ll be-” But she wouldn’t let him finish.<br/><br/>“Just-! Just come have dinner with us tonight? Christmas Eve dinner? We really would love to have you over again, and if you happen to notice something or talk to Danny…”<br/><br/>Vlad sighed, searching his mind for something to say. He really couldn’t come up with any valid reason not to, at least not one that he could tell her without it being suspicious. He also had to admit that he was a bit taken aback. He’d never been invited to spend the holidays with anyone outside of business meetings or social gatherings. This was very different from that, seeming much more intimate to him. This was with a family. Even if Vlad’s presence was a secondary objective to making sure her son was okay, the fact that Maddie would extend a hand after all they’d been through was still almost heart-warming. If he were a lesser man of course.<br/><br/>“I’ll… be there shortly. Thank you for inviting me, Madeleine. I’ll see what I can do.” He hung up, gripping the phone a little too tightly. What had he just agreed to? Could he face Danny right now, especially in front of the other Fentons? The remorseful nightmares played again in his head, telling him he didn’t deserve to be in their presence, much less Daniel’s.<br/><br/>He phased up into the first floor of his home, dressing in one of his nicer suits. Sure, it was just dinner at the Fenton’s, but it was a special dinner, right? Weren’t holiday dinners a bit nicer? Vlad didn’t really know… He shrugged, quite comfortable in a suit, so he didn’t think it mattered. He paused in front of his mirror, noticing that his hair had dried rather wavy. He brushed it out and started gathering it behind his head to secure it in its usual ponytail, only to pause and let it fall over his shoulders almost experimentally. He remembered what Daniel had said about it, how he liked when Vlad wore his hair down. Should he straighten it? He vaguely recalled his hair being much straighter when Daniel complimented it that night...<br/><br/>He grit his teeth at the thought, and at his sudden self-consciousness. What did he care? He’d spurned the boy’s affections quite plainly, and he had firmly decided he didn’t want to encourage Daniel any further, for both of their sakes. It wasn’t as if anything could actually come of it, and as attractive as Daniel had become, he was sure he couldn’t stomach a hit-it-and-quit-it type of relationship with the <em> much </em> younger halfa…<br/><br/>Did he just call Daniel attractive?</p><p>Vlad frowned harshly into the mirror, leaving his hair as it was and marching down to the kitchen. His mind kept supplying him with the sensation of Daniel’s lips on his, as if his body remembered their kiss in the lab when he himself could not. It was only natural, he reasoned. Vlad enjoyed both sexes, despite his somewhat limited experience with either, and Daniel was of legal age now, filling out as a man should. Of course he would pop into Vlad’s mind like this, and their core exchange didn’t help at all.<br/><br/>It made plenty of sense. Perfectly normal, as he'd said before.<br/><br/>Vlad grabbed a nice scotch and a brown gift bag, turning into Plasmius and taking flight towards Amity. He was desperately trying to put such thoughts of the boy out of his mind. He couldn’t let a few dreams sway him, allow him to entertain the idea of Daniel as a… a what?<br/><br/>They’d been nothing more than enemies as long as they’d known each other, despite not actively targeting each other as much in the more recent years. The feeding situation was turning them into… not allies, but… not something Vlad had ever wanted from the boy before. Vlad supposed enemy wasn’t the right word either. Maybe just the most familiar. He just wanted to teach him, show him everything he knew, be the one he could turn to when no one else understood…<br/><br/>Mentor was close, but there was something missing from that as well, something he didn't want to delve too deep into.</p><p>Daniel was dear to him, just not in any way that he could explain. Not in any way that was conventional.<br/><br/>Then again, nothing about either of them was conventional, was it?<br/><br/>He landed a ways down the street from the Fenton home before he could properly sort his thoughts or actually figure out what he wanted from Danny, so he gave himself a bit of a walk, some time to continue to deliberate. Would something more… romantic, really be that bad? They’d always been intense, so much so that almost all of the Ghost Zone knew of their rivalry, their connection. But Daniel was just <em>so young</em>. And what would Jack and Madeleine think? No, they wouldn't tell the Fentons. They wouldn't tell anyone, it would be almost as big a secret as their other halves. <br/><br/>But if they became involved, what would that mean for Vlad when Danny decided to tell his parents about being Phantom? Danny talks like he plans tell them soon, but Vlad had <em>no</em> intention of doing so. It wasn't as if he cared what they thought, but the idea having his secret out there to his old friends felt too much like being naked. He wouldn't be able to stand all the questions and prodding and opening up about it like they'd no doubt force upon him, if they didn't kill him first.<br/><br/>Vlad groaned. These were the exact reasons he and Daniel couldn't engage in anything like what the boy seemed to want, what he himself seemed to want since he was so seriously considering all of this, dreaming about it even. He had such mixed emotions about the whole thing, but his mind couldn't help but romanticize their bond as halfas. He was just like him. Even in their human lives the people around them noticed their back and forth, their undeniable chemistry. Maddie clearly saw something there if she trusted Vlad enough to talk to Danny about his recent mood. That in itself was still peculiar to him. Whatever he’d done at their last dinner must have set her at ease. He found that he was glad, and perhaps looking forward to tonight’s festivities. </p><p>Vlad’s musings were interrupted as he tucked into an alley upon seeing Danny’s friends walking across the street. He narrowed his eyes, watching from the dark. Tucker and Samantha were coming from the direction of  Fenton Works. Didn’t they have families of their own? Daniel was always more ornery to Vlad after being with them… That meant that their interaction would likely be that much more chafing, especially if Danny had already been in a mood the last few days.<br/><br/>He heaved a sigh as they passed, walking the rest of the way there until he stood on the porch, stalling for a solid minute before ringing the doorbell. What would he say? What if Daniel answered the door? He quickly composed himself, leaning into his overly confident demeanor with practiced ease.<br/><br/>Vlad gave Maddie a pleasant smile as she opened the door, hesitantly returning the look as she gestured for him to come inside. The first thing he noticed was how bitterly cold the house was. It was winter, but even the outside weather wasn’t as biting as the chill drafting down the stairs. “I was just finishing up the ham, Jack went to the hardware store and wanted to grab some beer when I told him you were coming. He taped the game and wouldn’t watch it until you got here.” She remarked fondly. Vlad shook his head, trying his best not to smile. Jack was probably the only person on the planet who was always happy to see him, no matter what. It wasn’t an awful feeling…<br/><br/>“I guess I should have left this at home then?” He holds out the bag, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that would have gotten him smacked a few years ago. Maddie looked just as tickled once she revealed the bottle. Vlad took off his coat and laid it over the chair he planned on sitting in. He decided to keep his scarf on, simply loosening it and rubbing his hands together. He actually had to summon a bit of core energy to keep fingers as warm as the rest of him.<br/><br/>Maddie seemed to notice, “Ah, yeah, sorry. I think our thermostat is on the fritz or something. Has been for a couple days. It reads fine but it obviously isn’t working. That’s why Jack left in the first place, had to get a few things to fix it. Would you believe we couldn’t find anything in the lab for it? Though running a thermostat on ectoplasm would be interesting…” She trailed off, and he smiled at the inspired look that began to take over her before she appeared to dismiss the thought, returning to reality. “Listen to me, rambling like the boys. I feel bad for sending him out, it started warming up a bit not twenty minutes ago, so maybe it's working again. He should be back soon though.”<br/><br/>She set Vlad’s gift on the counter and went to the cabinet to pull out three small glasses, filling two of them and handing one to Vlad so they could try it together. Her face soured as she sampled the taste, “Whew! That’s the stuff. Been a long time. Jack is going to be a mess tonight… Oh, but the kids!” She looked conflicted for only a moment before waving it away with the hand that wasn’t holding her drink. “Ah, they’re basically grown, they can handle seeing us get a little silly…”<br/><br/>“I’m sure Jasmine is at least <em>acquainted</em> with alcohol.” He raised a brow at the scandalized look Maddie threw him. “She’s in college, Madeleine. If I remember correctly, we weren’t exactly abstemious back inthose days.”<br/><br/>She gave a dainty shrug, “I suppose you’re right. I always figured she’d wait till her twenty-first and celebrate with a single glass of white wine…” They shared a laugh over the image. “At worst, Jazz will try to cut us off after a glass, and poor Danny will probably just sit there and…” She seemed to trail off, a sad look in her eye and worry etched in her brow.<br/><br/>Vlad’s lips thinned. He wondered what Daniel could have said or done to leave Maddie so concerned. She apparently hadn’t noticed anything when her son half died so many years ago, so Danny’s behavior this time around must have been quite unsettling to bother her like it was, “How has he been lately?” He asked softly. Maddie’s shoulders deflated and she put the glass down next to the bottle.<br/><br/>She looked almost glad to talk about it, despite the agitation that was clear in her voice. “Danny’s just been so… distant since high school started. I thought it was just a teenager thing, but recently it seems like it’s more than that.” She stared off to the side of Vlad instead of into his eyes, deep in thought. “The last month or so I feel like we’ve barely seen him, and then a couple days ago he just… locked himself up in his room. We went to check on him a few times but he was just so… standoffish. He wanted nothing to do with us. It's just so unlike my baby.” Maddie looked up at him almost cautiously.<br/><br/>“Jack and I were talking about it and… Well it reminded us of you back in the day, and don’t take this the wrong way, but we were worried he was going through something like… like what you were dealing with. We thought maybe,” She bit her lip, unable to finish that thought. “I just want to make sure he has an adult to talk to, since he doesn’t seem to want to talk to me or Jack... He has his friends, and Jazz is probably more of an adult than any of us in certain aspects, but you’ve had experience with this, so…”<br/><br/>Vlad inhaled deeply through his nose, his mouth tense. “I’ll have a chat with him, don’t you worry Maddie.” He was the reason Danny was so off anyway. “Just call us down when Jack gets back.”<br/><br/>Her shoulders sagged with relief, “Thank you, Vlad. Really. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I’m glad you’re here. It… feels like I’m getting my friend back.” She’d never forget how Vlad had saved Danny all those years ago when Amity Park had been teleported to the Ghost Zone. Even so, it wasn’t until recently that she’d really felt at ease around him. He felt less… superficial, more like the person she once knew like the back of her hand.<br/><br/>The statement punched Vlad in the chest. It surprised him with how good it felt, how much it didn’t hurt to be referred to so platonically. Had he expected it he surely would have done better than nod and turn to find the stairs, but he hadn’t. He used to ache at the thought of not having her by his side as his wife, he used to burn up inside when he saw her with Jack.<br/><br/>Vlad searched his entire being for that familiar sense of longing when he looked into her eyes, but blue ones kept popping into his head instead, like they had been for the past few days. The same blues that were now glaring at him across the hall when he finally made his way up to the second floor.<br/><br/>Danny phased the rest of the way out of his room, Jazz opening his bedroom door to follow him. They both stared at him suspiciously. “What are you doing here?” Danny questioned harshly.<br/><br/>Vlad frowned at the way the other’s stance was primed for battle, his deceptively lithe-looking body hard and tense, like he truly believed Vlad would snap into action and attack him right here in his own home. Sure, he’d tossed the boy around this place a few times, but Daniel’s body language conveyed a bit more fear and trepidation than that, more than usual.<br/><br/>It didn’t fill him with as much joy as it once would have.<br/><br/>“Your mother called me.” Vlad answered simply, truthfully, sparing Jazz a glance before looking back to the younger man between them.<br/><br/>Danny was sneering, “Oh, and you’d do anything for her.” Vlad sighed, making sure it was blatantly obvious how exhausting he felt Daniel was being at the moment. The boy’s face scrunched further.<br/><br/>“Jasmine, would you mind giving us some time to talk?” He didn’t bother trying to look or sound charming, not when she knew who and what he really was. The honesty didn’t seem to comfort her at all and she looked at Danny as if to make sure he’d be okay if she left. Vlad held back a scoff.<br/><br/>Like she could stop him otherwise?<br/><br/>She reluctantly stepped out from behind Danny and walked towards Vlad to go downstairs. “I’ll be in the kitchen with mom.” And she gave Vlad a look that he assumed was supposed to be some kind of warning. She was just as fearless as her mother, he’d give her that.<br/><br/>Danny just marched back into his room, slamming the door in Vlad’s face when he tried to follow. His brow twitched in irritation but his face was otherwise unchanged as he merely phased through. “Was that entirely necessary?”<br/><br/>“After you dropped me to my death? Yeah, dude.” Danny’s arms folded as he sat on his bed, glaring up at the other halfa, his teeth bared in a silent snarl. <br/><br/>“Daniel, I was-” Vlad moved to step forward but faltered as Danny tensed once more, bracing himself and sitting a bit straighter. Vlad clenched his teeth before growling, “Daniel, I’m not going to hurt you!”<br/><br/>“You could’ve fooled me, you asshole!” Danny yelled as he shot forward and into Vlad’s face, shrinking back and lowering his voice when he remembered his mother downstairs. “I couldn’t even fly! I thought I was done for!” He was so close that his heaving chest almost touched Vlad’s and he glared up at the taller man with glowing eyes, practically steaming. Vlad was stunned into a brief silence.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry…” Vlad murmured after a moment, echoing the anguished apology from his dream. Danny was almost awestruck by the sincerity at first but in the end it only put him on edge again, knowing how good Vlad was at faking these kinds of things when he wanted to be. The regret still remained in the older man’s voice, intensifying at the younger halfa’s obvious mistrust, “I just wanted to discourage- I didn’t want you to-” Danny easily cut him off.<br/><br/>“I know why, you emotionally constipated Fruit Loop, but there are better ways to turn someone down, you know.” And Vlad really had nothing to say to that. Danny was absolutely right, in hindsight there were a thousand other ways he could have handled the situation, he just chose the one that made the most sense at the time, the one best suited to <em> him</em>.<br/><br/>He hadn’t thought it would hurt so much to see Daniel in pain. It hadn’t before, but then he’d been a much angrier person, evidently a much more sadistic person. Now, though…<br/><br/>Danny backed out of his personal space a bit, looking at what little ground lay between their feet. “As nice as it is to hear you actually apologize for something, why are you really here?” He looked up at Vlad almost hopefully and Vlad only pitied him more. Danny’s eyes were searching for some sign that he’d changed his mind, perhaps changed the person who he was. He knew he wasn’t exactly an easy man to love.<br/><br/>Not that Daniel <em> loved </em> him or anything. </p><p>“I told you, your mother called me. I’m having dinner with you all tonight. Merry Christmas.” He added sarcastically.<br/><br/>“How lovely.” Danny said just as dryly, falling back onto his bed so hard that he bounced a few times, successfully taking any bite from his tone.</p><p>Vlad carefully approached and sat down next to Danny, who watched him with wide and confused eyes when he realized how close the man was to him. “She also wanted me to talk to you… about how you’ve been feeling.” Danny frowned, moving his eyes to his lap. “She’s very worried about you. Your father too.”<br/><br/>Danny glared at him, once again exposing his pointed teeth threateningly, “So? It’s not like it's all my fault! What am I supposed to say? ‘<em>Hey, sorry I’m so unpleasant to be around right now, your best friend and I are dead and we have to trade ghost juice. Now we’re a little unstable and we're influencing each other and will probably never be the same, real sorry to worry you’?</em> Yeah, I thought about it and it didn’t seem like it would go over very well.”<br/><br/>Vlad snorted at the melodrama, “Well you could at least <em>try</em> to act normal. I honestly have no idea how you’ve kept up your secret this long.”<br/><br/>Danny’s hands reached up, barely stopping as Danny apparently restrained himself from physically grabbing Vlad and shaking him. “Ugh! Not all of us can fake an entire personality on cue!” Vlad bristled.<br/><br/>“You’re right, I suppose not everyone is so gifted. Though, I would have hoped you could at the very least keep your powers in check if you couldn’t reign in your temperamental fits.”<br/><br/>Danny did grip his shoulders this time, “<em>I'm</em> temperamental?! You made me like this! I was upset! And it’s getting harder to control when my core is acting all crazy and I need to f-feed!” That was a valid point, one that Vlad himself had come to earlier as well. He was letting Daniel’s attitude get under his skin and rile him. He shouldn't be arguing with the boy right now, rattling him further and making it worse.<br/><br/>He closed his eyes, flexing his fingers in his lap to conciliate himself. “Okay. You’re right.” Danny may be eighteen now, but Vlad was the real adult here.<br/><br/>Danny paused, hands slipping down Vlad’s arms. “I’m right?” Vlad shivered at the light caress, eyeing Danny to see if he’d done it on purpose. It was not intentional judging by the way he tore his hands from Vlad’s biceps, face blazing scarlet as he looked anywhere but at Vlad.<br/><br/>“This mess is difficult enough just to bear, much less hide, and I was, as you said, at fault for the additional strain." His tone was petulant but Danny was impressed enough by Vlad actually admitting when he was wrong, so he let it slide. "I would likely be unable to hide my own... <em> reactions </em> if my home had any other inhabitants from which to hide them.”<br/><br/>Danny glanced up nervously, “You mean your cat hasn’t said anything about the two a.m. night terrors?” and the faintest little smirk was drawing at the corner of his mouth.<br/><br/>Vlad sent him a flat look at the clear jab at his loneliness, despite setting himself up for it. “She doesn’t check in as much as your parents probably do.” Maddie the cat had free range of the mansion. He hadn’t actually seen her in a few days…<br/><br/>Vlad looked up upon hearing a small chuckle. He didn’t like the feeling it gave him, so he chose to focus on the nightmares the boy had mentioned. “Daniel,” He started, “Can you tell me about your dreams?” Vlad couldn’t remember having dreamt so much in his life, not even after the proto-portal incident. If he did dream, it was usually either mundane or absurdly nonsensical. Strangely enough, he’d rarely had nightmares after becoming part ghost, having little fear of anything else in this world after half dying and becoming Plasmius. He’d spent so many years so sure of himself, only to be reduced to this state.<br/><br/>It made him remember what Nocturn said about the subject of Danny’s nightmares being so much more terrifying. If Vlad’s nightmares affected him like this, he needed to get to the bottom of Danny’s great and all consuming fear, because that was the root of this little side-effect and all of these suppressed feelings, but part of him also just wanted to understand Daniel as a whole. Danny’s reluctance to answer only made Vlad more eager to discover what terrors plagued him. </p><p>“Like becoming an astronaut?” He tried playfully after the pause, eventually sagging at Vlad’s slow, unimpressed blinking. Something told Danny that he didn’t like where this conversation was going but he couldn’t figure out why yet. His voice was small and wary as he began again, “There’s a lot of things I dream about, you know? But the recurring ones are usually… unpleasant experiences.” That made sense to Vlad. Most of his had been memories, some skewed with different elements or outcomes, but mostly staying true to the past. He was curious about which events Daniel relived in his sleep, if they were anything like Vlad’s dreams.<br/><br/>“What kind of experiences?”<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, trying hard to feign indifference. “You know, the accident, some of the scarier fights I’ve had, even with you. Sometimes I dream about being captured and cut open and…” His eyes seemed to shine a bit, likely tearing up but holding it back. “But the <em> worst </em> is when I dream about being stuck in the future with-” Danny’s jaw snapped shut, clenching hard enough to audibly gnash his teeth. Vlad watched as Danny seemed to mentally war with himself.<br/><br/>He frowned, leaning closer as if it would draw the information out. “The future? Stuck in the future with what?” Of the few times Vlad time traveled, he’d never been to the future. He’d never been particularly motivated to visit, being so enamored with the past for so long, but Clockwork had always been particularly adamant against him jumping ahead in the timeline. Now he was quite intrigued, if not a little peeved that Daniel appeared to be the exception to the time keeper’s little rule.<br/><br/>Clockwork had apparently taken well to giving Daniel missions in time if he trusted the boy enough to send him forward. Vlad also had a strong feeling that Clockwork had a hand in his rescue from Walker's prison. Why was Clockwork so meddling? How many times did they work together? Did he send Danny to the future often? What was it like? He was sure his curiosity(nosiness) was showing on his face because Danny was staring him down all of the sudden, his face hard and firm like he was sizing the older man up.</p><p>He didn't seem very keen on talking about it. “Why are you so obsessed with time travel lately?” He countered instead of answering Vlad’s question. His voice was harsh and defensive, as though Vlad had hit a nerve.<br/><br/>Danny really didn’t like the sudden interest he heard in the man’s voice at the mention of the future. “Before this you were all crazy and came after Clockwork’s staff, then you went and got yourself captured by Walker of all people trying to steal his weird generator to <em>build</em> your own<em> entire ass</em> <em>time machine</em>.” He could understand the man’s motivations to an extent, but his unrelenting persistence was making Danny nervous, like Vlad really was up to something again.<br/><br/>Vlad's eyes were wide at first as they stared back. Now he was <em>positive</em> Clockwork had a hand in his rescue because there would be no other way for Danny to know that. He remembered seeing Clockwork on the roof with Danny two nights ago, and he almost got so caught up in connecting dots that he'd almost forgotten Danny's question.<br/><br/>He mentally examined his motives, his state of mind when he was putting together those half-baked plans. It was embarrassing in hind-sight, but he'd had his ass handed to him by a teenager a few too many times to really let that feeling bother him anymore. “As I’m sure you were aware, I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. At that time it felt like I was being pulled apart, both mentally and physically. I could barely think, but I knew I had to go back and make sure this never happened. The exchange, the proto-portal accident, the ghost half- I wanted none of it. Time travel was the best way.”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes were piercing and Vlad had to look away to continue. “The initial plan was obtaining Clockwork’s staff- then I could control all of time.”<br/><br/>“One of your more grandiose delusions…” The younger halfa mumbled under his breath.<br/><br/>Vlad shot him a look, “Like I said, I was not at my best and brightest. I just wanted it to stop. Everything. Do it all over.” Vlad’s brows drew together as he remembered the mindless pain and disjointed thoughts that led him to that point. He truly felt like he’d been losing his mind, losing himself, but in a different way from how he probably was now. This was changing, <em>that</em> was falling apart.<br/><br/>He hoped Daniel wasn’t feeling anything like that, out of control and blind with pain. Not just because he’d apparently gone soft for the boy, but also because Daniel was a maddeningly powerful little nuisance with the ability to control ghost’s <em>minds.</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em>“Now’s different though, right?” Vlad blinked, not comprehending Danny’s question at first since he'd been lost in his own thoughts. </p><p>“You aren't losing your shit any more, we fixed it. Your core, with the feeding.” He elaborated. Vlad opened his mouth to argue that no part of their situation could really be checked off as ‘fixed’, but Danny already seemed to know what he was going to say. “Well, yeah, we’re actually still figuring that part out, but at least you're not going crazy anymore, so no reason to jump into a different timeline or change ours… Right?”<br/><br/>Danny was staring at him with those wide, hopeful icy blue eyes, so much like the dream Vlad remembered. The dark lashes fluttered up at him, as if trying to enchant him into leaving things as they were and deserting his plans. It made something twinge in his chest that he hadn’t felt since he first laid eyes on Maddie and he <em> knew </em> what it meant. He swallowed thickly, “The not going crazy part is still very much up for debate…” Because what he felt now was certainly insane, but in a totally different way.</p><p>Vlad’s hesitance seemed to flip some switch in Danny’s head, because his entire approach changed.<br/><br/>The way Vlad was talking about it sounded like he still wanted to bail, even though Danny was making it clear how badly he wanted the man to stay. At least, he thought he was being pretty clear, batting his lashes and all that, but that obviously wasn’t going to work. It wasn’t good enough.<br/><br/>His brows came together sternly and his voice became haughtier, trying something different. “I think you should leave the time stuff to Clockwork.” Danny said resolutely. Plain and simple, straight to the point. <br/><br/>The abrupt switch of tone seemed to come out of nowhere to Vlad, catching him off guard. “What?” His voice was nearly a drawn out whisper, disbelief staining the sound.<br/><br/>Danny only looked more determined. “I need you to drop it. I don't want him to keep sending me after you to clean up your messes.” He saw that Vlad was about to argue and he glared harder. “If you don’t leave it alone I won’t train with you.” Vlad paused.<br/><br/>Daniel had still wanted to train under him? Even after that last stunt? He eyed Danny closely, unsure of what exactly prompted the ultimatum. Danny definitely knew something Vlad didn’t, likely due to his time with Clockwork.<br/><br/>The thought of Danny training under the timekeeper instead of him made his core release an ill-tempered pulse of heat that he barely contained within himself.<br/><br/>“Aren’t you too busy being the <em>Clockwork</em>’s little apprentice anyway?” He sneered, unable to help himself. The question hung in the air for a second too long and Vlad cringed at the hint of jealousy in his voice. He hoped it wasn’t that noticeable.</p><p>Evidently it was. “Is that what it is with him, Fruit Loop?” Danny laughed in disbelief, “You’re mad because I go to Clockwork for guidance? And not you?” He looked at Vlad expectantly but gave no room for a reply, “Earth to Vlad, he wasn’t beating my ass and trying to wreck my family every time we met, so you know, only natural I guess.” Danny’s head shook, eyes almost rolling but he barely refrained. He couldn’t believe Vlad’s entitled attitude after all the shit he’s pulled.<br/><br/>Vlad at least had the decency to slouch a bit and act ashamed, but Danny hated the look on him the longer he stared at the man’s slightly hunched form. Besides, part of him thought that the jealousy was kind of flattering…<br/><br/>“Just… let’s just focus our energy on the present. Play this by ear. We already decided to train so let’s see where that goes for now, okay?” It wasn't as demanding as before but it seemed to work.<br/><br/>Vlad quickly nodded in a way that he hoped wasn’t too transparent or eager, but again, Danny seemed to see right through the action. He gave Vlad a somewhat smarmy grin, feeling smug with the man’s response. “All these years and I’m finally all yours, huh?”<br/><br/>Vlad lifted a dark brow, a smirk tugging at his lips now. “All mine?” Daniel blinked and sputtered.<br/><br/>“Your student! All yours as your student!” He truly hadn’t meant it in any other way! Maybe not consciously…<br/><br/>Vlad gave him a subtle smirk, “Yes, of course. It’s a Christmas miracle.” His tone was droll and thoroughly amused.<br/><br/>Danny scoffed, “It’ll be a Christmas miracle when you stop being a douche.”<br/><br/>Vlad wrinkled his nose at the language but played along. “Oh, if only there was someone to make me behave? Maybe even teach me how to love…?” He smiled indulgently at the flustering boy.<br/><br/>Danny’s jaw dropped at the merciless teasing, helplessly sputtering as he always did when Vlad messed with him. This was what he expected when Vlad found out how he felt, but it didn’t make it any less annoying or embarrassing. “You… You're such a jerk! That’s playing dirty!” He resisted rearing back when Vlad leaned far too close to his face, his overly charming smirk still in place as he wiggled his eyebrows.<br/><br/>“Dirty is the only way I know how to play, Little Badger.” Danny's heart was pounding in his chest at how close they were, and Vlad's voice was so low that Danny swore he could feel it vibrate in his own chest. Or was that his core? He held his breath and he really did try to keep his eyes off the man’s lips, attempting to focus them anywhere else, but that only brought his attention to Vlad’s flowing locks as they spilled over his shoulder.</p><p>He’d been too mad to take note of it before but now he couldn’t <em> not </em> think about it. Vlad had purposefully left his hair down, knowing he was going to see Danny tonight. A slightly hysterical giggle bubbled up from his chest as he imagined Vlad admiring himself in the mirror, primping the decadent waves and wondering if Danny would notice.<br/><br/>Danny definitely noticed.<br/><br/>This time Danny smirked almost viciously, finally having ammo of his own and fully intending on calling Vlad out on his hairstyle of choice only to be interrupted by the sound of his father calling them down. It made him remember that his parents were downstairs and he was just a few inches away from the lips of their long time friend. Alone in his room. On his bed.<br/><br/>"HA-HA, time for dinner!" Danny shot up and grabbed Vlad’s hand, dragging him downstairs and out of that undeniably steamy atmosphere. Maybe it was just steamy to him? But their faces had been so close! He always hated when Vlad succeeded in working him up, and now he was doing it in different ways…<br/><br/>Vlad trailed behind him, gazing almost adoringly at Danny’s back as he was pulled to the kitchen. He was still unsure of what to do with the boy’s blatant infatuation with him, but their banter had felt much more flirtatious than before and it wasn’t bad at all. It was familiar, but also new and exciting and he found himself wanting to continue, wanting more. He was about to make another snarky remark to keep their game going when an odd scent wafted through the air, pungent enough to make him nearly choke. He recognized it but couldn’t quite place it, and his insides squirmed at how sickly sweet it smelled, even his ghost core seemed to shudder in response. He slammed into Danny’s back before he could put his finger on it.<br/><br/>“Ah- Daniel!” He started irritably, moving around the boy to glare at his face and ask why he’d stopped so suddenly. Blue eyes were squinted and his delicate nose was wrinkled in what Vlad could only guess was disgust because the smell was so much <em> stronger </em> in here.<br/><br/>“V-man!” Vlad looked up to see Jack, one hand holding a six pack of their favorite beer, the other holding a large bouquet out for Maddie.<br/><br/>A bouquet of Blood Blossoms.<br/><br/>He unconsciously stepped in front of Danny’s still-frozen form. “Oh Jack, what lovely flowers, you shouldn’t have…” He joked almost too softly. Of course Jack Fenton would have anti-ghost flowers. They weren’t very harmful to a halfa in human form unless ingested, but they weren’t exactly very pleasant to be around either. He could feel a physical repulsion, almost like his core was trying to get away but was confined in his physical body. Jack stepped toward them with the bouquet still in hand and Vlad felt Danny nearly skip a foot back further behind him, likely remembering the painful reaction from the time back in Salem when Vlad had used the flower against him, despite the fact that he wasn’t in ghost form at the moment.<br/><br/>“They’re Maddie’s favorite!” Jack beamed at his wife who smiled sweetly at him, taking the bouquet and bringing it up to her face for a few seconds before blushing and sending Vlad a wary glance. She probably thought he’d act weird or jealous, but aside from his waned interest Vlad was far too occupied with the flowers themselves. If he didn't get his act together soon they might pick up on something. Putting his ghostly concerns to the side for a moment, he decided to play it cool and alleviate her worries. “They’re beautiful, Madeleine.”<br/><br/>He felt Danny pinch the back of his arm, not liking the tone Vlad was using with his mom. He was going to elbow the boy as payback when he got a wicked idea. “Daniel, would you be a dear and put those in a nice vase for your mother?” Maddie blinked at the suggestion before eventually nodding along and holding them out for him.<br/><br/>Vlad had to bite the inside of his lips to withhold his laughter, Danny sending him a bewildered and then murderous look at the suggestion before coming out from behind the man. Danny hesitated before reluctantly inching forward, fingers twitching as he reached out. Jack didn’t seem to notice his son’s turmoil, turning back to Vlad in blissful ignorance. “That’s really why it took me so long, I wanted to surprise her.” He whispered just a bit too loudly. “I got her some jam from the same vendor, but Jazz accidentally dropped it all down the sink!”<br/><br/>Vlad and Danny sent her a thankful look, to which she replied “Whoopsie!” with a shrug before nearly diving between Danny and Maddie to take the bouquet away with a quick “I got it Mom!” and ran out of the kitchen, careful to keep the bouquet away from Danny. Maddie frowned at her daughter's strange behavior and followed her into the living room.<br/><br/>Jack hollered after her, “Accidents happen, Jazzy-pants!” and Vlad barely held back a grudging remark about one of Jack’s own ‘accidents’ when he felt a cold burn of ectoplasm sear through his shoe. He jumped a bit, looking back to find Danny glaring at him like he’d read his thoughts, though his bitter expression couldn’t have made that very hard. Still, Vlad nearly gaped at the audacity, unable to believe Danny had just discretely zapped him right in front of his father, not that the man had been facing them.</p><p>These were his new Armani dress shoes!<br/><br/>Vlad stomped on Danny’s foot with the same shoe before casually making his way to his seat at the table, eyeing the flowers Maddie was bringing back to set as the centerpiece of their meal. Jazz sent her brother wide eyes, clearly apologetic as Danny limped over and stiffly sat down, pressing into the back of his seat in a vain effort to put as much distance between himself and the plant as he could. Vlad just breathed through his mouth as he poured himself a glass of the scotch he’d brought. He had a feeling he would need it.<br/><br/>“I would have come with gifts had I a bit more notice,” Vlad began hoarsely, only to be shushed by Maddie.<br/><br/>“Oh nonsense! The kids are grown and you brought this expensive scotch…”<br/><br/>“Besides!” Jack bellowed as he took the drink his wife offered, “Santa will be bringing us plenty of presents tonight!”<br/><br/>Vlad rolled his eyes dramatically, being all too familiar with Jack’s obsession with the Christmas icon. He was about to poke fun at Jack like he and Maddie had back in college but stopped himself upon feeling the thick tension in the air, noticing an uncomfortable silence take over the table. Maddie’s lips were taut as she wordlessly continued to dish out the food, the only sound being the gentle clinks of plates and silverware.<br/><br/>Danny seemed the most perturbed, awkwardly clearing his throat. “So dad, did you see any ghosts while you were out?” Vlad gave him a glance, at first not understanding why he’d ask that, knowing that it was highly unlikely given the annual truce starting in a few hours. Danny met his eyes with a short lift of his shoulders and Vlad came to his aid.<br/><br/>“Yes, Jack, do blather on about ghosts.” Vlad grumbled in a dull tone, knowing it would be more than enough to get the man started, and get started he did.<br/><br/>“You wouldn’t <em> believe </em> the one we got the other day!” And he began excitedly describing the gooey demise of some low level entity that was unfortunate enough to float onto their path last week.<br/><br/>Maddie’s shoulders relaxed as she joined her husband, the two of them being almost too easy to distract. Vlad listened intently, or at least pretended to, nodding along to all of their (mostly incorrect) theories and philosophies and rants about the undead so long as it kept the atmosphere from spoiling. Apparently the Santa Claus argument had grown into something more explosive over the years, at least judging by the children’s reactions to the mere mention of said topic. Fortunately the couple didn’t seem to want to hash everything out in front of company, easily dropping it in favor of conversing about their work. Danny sent him a relieved, almost thankful look for changing the subject.<br/><br/>Until they began talking about Phantom.<br/><br/>"That ghost is a real weird one! Super abnormal..." Jack's inebriated voice was louder than usual. <br/><br/>“His form is so solid, I’ve never understood it.” Maddie was tapping her fingers to her feminine chin, “I’m almost certain he’d have organs, but I'm not positive. I’ve seen him bleed- ectoplasm I’m sure, and I can’t help but wonder if his skin would peel back the same way as a human cadaver’s upon examination?”<br/><br/>“Eating!” Jazz reminded them in a dark, warning tone.<br/><br/>It barely deterred them, Jack shrugging as if talking about dissection was perfectly normal dinner conversation. “I’m mostly fascinated in the psychology of them, but the Phantom one in particular. For the longest I thought that they couldn’t retain information or really be taught anything. They really remember things though. It’s spooky, like they're still fully aware of things around them. Still conscious.”<br/><br/>Jazz rolled her eyes, “Some psychological evaluation you did there, dad!” She growled, unable to help herself like she usually could. She wouldn’t allow her father to call <em> that </em> two-bit analysis ‘psychology’ and insult her chosen field. “Of course they’re conscious. It’s called the after<em>-life.</em> They still experience things, they can remember things and learn from them. Some part of them still lives on-” She tried to lecture them, as she’d tried many times over the years when they ragged on ghosts a little too hard in front of Danny but, her mom was quick to cut her short.<br/><br/>“Of course they can learn, that’s how they get you. That Phantom remembers how all of our weapons work, it’s how he avoids us so well. He’s learned that if he plays a hero that it looks bad when we come after him.” There was a slightly paranoid, bitter look in her eyes before they softened.</p><p>“Oh Jazz! Don’t get me started on that thing’s motivations. It’s common knowledge in the paranormal community that ghosts are nothing but a manifestation of <em> post</em>-human consciousness, bent on causing mayhem in the land of the living. They aren’t alive, sweetie. Don’t let them trick you. I don’t care <em> what </em> the news says, that ghost boy is up to no good! All that ‘heroism’ is just an elaborate ruse!” Jazz pursed her lips, going back to eating her food in silence upon having her mother's reckless rantings and ravings shoved down her throat.</p><p>Jack raised his glass, “You said it, baby! He’s a slippery little snake, two-faced as ever.” Vlad watched Danny stare down at his plate, mindlessly moving the peas around with his fork in some effort to divert his attention from what they were saying about him. “He may have evaded us so far, but one of these days we’ll get him and rip him apart molecule by molecule!” They didn’t stop, and Vlad’s chest began to hurt as Danny’s eyes seemed to glaze over when their conversation became clinical and graphic. He didn’t seem to be present with them anymore, leaving Vlad to wonder how many times he’d had to listen to this for his mind to know exactly when to shut down to salvage his sanity.<br/><br/>Jazz slammed her fork down hard enough to move the table, simultaneously alarming and silencing her parents, “You know which ghost is worst? The absolute worst of them all? A genuinely evil, malevolent spirit?” Jack and Maddie jerked back in surprise. Jazz <em> never </em> wanted to rant about ghosts with them. Her and Danny seemed to hate it even more than their Christmas arguments.<br/><br/>Jazz’s brows almost drew close enough to touch, “The Wisconsin Ghost! Now <em> that </em> guy is a real monster.”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes were wide, snapping back into reality and glancing back and forth between Vlad and his sister as a nervous, nearly panicked smile emerged from the shock. Jazz was considerate enough not to look at Vlad <em>directly</em> the whole time, also likely just trying to keep her parent’s attention, and Vlad himself recovered almost too quickly, a thoroughly amused and almost frightening sneer on his face. He knew Jazz was probably getting him back for almost making Danny touch the Blood Blossoms. It was confirmed when she finally did spare him a look, the smallest challenge in her barely-there smirk.<br/><br/>Did she think she could make him sweat?<br/><br/>This was nothing.<br/><br/>“Oh, I couldn't have said it better myself, Jasmine. That suave devil is always wreaking such havoc in my town! If only he had some sort of powerful foe strong enough to eliminate him. But alas, he appears to be unrivaled.” And you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know Vlad, but Danny could hear the man holding back his notoriously evil cackles, mirth all too evident in his voice. Danny and Jazz shared a look, both silently wondering why the other halfa didn’t show an ounce of concern at the topic of discussion. Was he that cocky?<br/><br/>“I’ve seen Phantom fight him before! Even kick his butt!” Jazz tried, prompting Vlad to gracefully lift his shoulders and open his mouth to retort, only for Danny to interrupt.<br/><br/>“And I wouldn’t say suave, but the devil part is pretty accurate…” Danny added almost under his breath, but Jack heard it and barked a laugh.<br/><br/>“Good one, son! That guy is almost as bad as that Plasmius ghost!” The entire table paused, sharing a blink almost in unison as they sat through the second-hand embarrassment.<br/><br/>Maddie poured him another glass and put it in his hand, “They’re the same ghost, honey, finish your drink.” And she pat his shoulder as realization dawned on his face.</p><p>"Right..." Danny had to hold his hand over his mouth to stop the giggles. Vlad smiled behind his glass, wishing he could move the boy’s hand so that he could hear.<br/><br/>Jack seemed to sober a bit after his revelation, to everyone’s surprise, despite having consumed the most alcohol out of the three of them. “That ghost though…” Jack’s lips curled and he threw back a gulp of his scotch. “That ghost is the most wicked <em> fiend </em> of a spectral entity that I have ever encountered. You can almost feel the intent to kill rolling off of it in waves…” Then his expression was carefree and blissfully daft again as he shrugged, “At least I have!” The tension that ensued was one for the books. Jazz pursed her lips, trying to simultaneously read every face at the table because these were the type of psychologically stressful situations she wanted to write her thesis about for ghost’s sake. She focused on her brother the most, and naturally Danny was looking over to see Vlad’s face, wondering how the man would react to Jack’s painfully accurate description of his alter ego.<br/><br/>He didn’t know why he expected anything other than the delighted smirk he found there.<br/><br/>“Indeed, Jack. A real scoundrel, that one. Pure evil. I do wish someone would put him in his place. Don’t you agree, Madeleine?” That bastard was enjoying this.<br/><br/>“Wholeheartedly!” Maddie said sharply. “What I’d give to get that undead creature on my table! The pure, concentrated evil... I wouldn’t stop until it was nothing but jars of pink goop!” And while Vlad didn’t seem disturbed by this talk in the least, Danny was beginning to feel nauseous and a little claustrophobic.<br/><br/>It was one thing to hear it about himself, but it was a different kind of hurt when they said those things about someone he had developed feelings for. Not even Plasmius deserved to be tortured like that. Danny's core seemed to be pulsing little uneasy vibrations through him as his mother went on, not helping the queasy feeling in the slightest. He couldn’t tell if the flowers were overwhelming him or if it was simply the topic at hand but it was all too much and in the end it forced him to eventually give in and push his seat back not even half-way through their meal.<br/><br/>“I’m not feeling well. May I be excused?” His voice sounded a bit panicked to his own ears and he felt like he might start hyperventilating. He was imagining the pink and green beakers from Vlad’s lab, only this time they were sitting in his parent’s basement and the ectoplasm that was inside was <em> them. </em> That’s all that would be left if his parents got a hold of them.<br/><br/>Maddie frowned in concern, “But Danny, sweetie, you’ve barely eaten. And we have company-”<br/><br/>“Will you just <em> let me go already</em>?” Danny barked, surprising even himself with his waspishness. He really <em> didn’t </em> feel good and he needed to breathe air that didn’t smell like those godawful blossoms. Maddie pressed her lips together tightly, never knowing how to handle her son when he gave off that strange… <em> energy </em> that he sometimes did.<br/><br/>“Danny-boy!” Jack said with an air of shock, “You shouldn’t snap at your mother like that! Especially on Christmas!”<br/><br/>He stared at his father with a stony expression, eventually lowering his gaze. “I’m going to bed.” Then Danny grumbled a low, almost inaudible apology without meeting anyone’s eyes before storming up to his room.<br/><br/>Vlad remained unbothered by the explosive display, calmly grabbing the liquor and leaning over to refill the Fentons' glasses before offering them up. “That was something.” He said simply, nodding knowingly when the drinks were gladly accepted.</p><p>Maddie huffed a short breath of laughter through her nose before sending him a slightly wounded half-smile. “So I guess you weren’t able to really talk to him then?” It was more pleading than accusatory.<br/><br/>Jazz sent him an interested look and he could see her watching him from his peripheral vision. “We didn’t get very far, no.” He lied, knowing exactly why her son was acting the way he was acting, but he certainly couldn’t <em> tell </em> her.<br/><br/>Jazz’s gaze shifted away from him to glare at her parents. “Really? Is it so difficult to talk to your own son? I mean, I know Vlad-” But she shut her mouth mid-sentence, realizing she was unable to finish her sentence without hinting too much about them.<br/><br/>Jack put a hulking arm around his wilted wife, sighing into his drink. “He doesn’t <em> want </em> to talk to us. We want to be there for him, but we don’t want to push him away even more, Jazzy.”<br/><br/>Maddie sniffled. “I just don’t understand…”<br/><br/>Vlad eventually stood from his seat, his eyes down cast and appearing deep in thought. “You will soon.” Danny would probably wait until just before college if Vlad had to guess, less than a year away. “I’m going to go check on him.” He added before they could pick apart his cryptic response, leaving the kitchen and floating up into Danny’s room once he was out of sight.<br/><br/>Jazz stared after him for a moment, trying to wrap her head around all that was going on. Everything about this day was just so weird. Danny wasn’t himself, he was going through ‘ghost puberty’ as he put it, their mom and dad were more hopelessly clueless than usual, <em> Vlad </em> was here with them, and apparently their parents were putting their full faith in the man, as if he hadn’t betrayed them all dozens of times.<br/><br/>They weren't aware of most of those times since they didn't know about him being a hybrid, but <em>still.</em><br/><br/>They were sending Danny’s arch nemesis upstairs to comfort him! Well, to them it was just sending his beloved godfather upstairs, but that made it weird for another reason.<br/><br/>She thought she’d caught a few too many looks between them, and not the type of look that spoke of rivalry or hate. There was always drama between them, but this was something else. After the kiss, after the fight about said kiss and all of these new ghostly side-effects... Were those two becoming a thing? Danny and their evil uncle Vlad?<br/><br/>Just what had she come home to?<br/><br/>Sure, her parents may have argued a lot less this year, but this was still <em>hands down</em> the most wildly dysfunctional Christmas they’d experienced yet.<br/><br/><br/></p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Overflow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad and Danny talk, among other things.</p><p> </p><p>Deadass 11000 words for an eventful conversation that lasts maybe two hours tops. I do not stfu. Ever.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>Vlad floated up from the floor of Danny’s dark bedroom, looking around briefly before phasing all the way through. <br/><br/>“Daniel,” He called softly upon entering the room completely. He knew Danny was inside, he could feel it. Vlad’s eyes went red and  zeroed in on a lump under the covers. <br/><br/>When the lump didn’t move Vlad sat next to it, peeling the blanket back some to reveal the younger halfa curled up in an almost fetal position with his eyes half open, a bit far away. He didn’t look up at Vlad. <br/><br/>“Sorry, I just had to get outta there…” His lips parted <em> just </em> enough to make his soft mumblings intelligible. </p><p>Vlad nodded, understanding all too well what must be going through the boy’s head, despite Danny being so tight-lipped in their earlier discussion about the things that followed him into sleep. Danny had said that being experimented on was one of his recurring nightmares, and after hearing exactly how graphic Jack and Maddie got in front of their kids, Vlad thought he might know why. He wondered what it was like, being so young and listening to his parents describe how they’d dissect and torture him, how he was irredeemably evil for just being what he was, for something that wasn’t his fault. How many times had he listen to them talk about how they’d rip him apart or melt him down simply to satisfy their curiosity.<br/><br/>He wanted to tell Danny none of that would ever happen, that they wouldn’t do anything like that once they discovered <em> who </em> he was, but even Vlad couldn’t be too sure about how they would react to the big reveal. Not one hundred percent. He knew Jack and Maddie as paranormal scientists long before he knew them as parents, and while he also knew they loved their son very much, he still didn’t want to put anything past them when it came to ghosts. He couldn’t sit there and tell Danny they’d never hurt him, even if by accident, and end up being wrong. <br/><br/>It was probably the first time he actually <em> didn’t </em> want to lie. <br/><br/>Compassion was still quite new to him. <br/><br/>Vlad couldn’t think of anything to say that would comfort Danny in that moment so he placed a hand on his head, gently brushing back the boy’s dark hair with a barely-there touch.</p><p>Danny seemed to curl in a bit more in response and Vlad retracted his hand, thinking Daniel didn’t want to be touched, that he was maybe ‘creeped out’, only for him to reach out and return Vlad’s hand to his head so the man could continue petting him, “My... “ He started, “It’s just starting to hurt.” His voice was a strained whisper, eyes flitting up to meet Vlad’s almost timidly before returning to stare off into space, grimacing through the pain.<br/><br/>Danny didn’t have to elaborate for Vlad to know he was talking about the hunger. Not only was he too beginning to experience symptoms, but he was sensing something just a little off about Danny, and he knew it wasn’t just the emotional distress. If he focused he could almost feel the boy’s core, the dip in his ghostly energy levels, pulsing agitatedly as he spiked. <br/><br/>That certainly explained some of the foul attitude. Vlad vaguely remembered what it was like months ago to have his core feel so drained, how low his tolerance and patience was, how neurotic he must have been. Danny wasn’t experiencing <em> that </em> level of starvation, but this was probably the worst he’d felt yet, especially right after being exposed to powerful anti-ghost flowers. Coupling that with the state Vlad had left him in after their fight in the park and the toll of the energy exchange it was no wonder that Danny was feeling this way, both mentally and physically. Plus the boy’s <em> regular </em> teenage angst probably wasn’t helping his explosive mood either. <br/><br/>They needed to get a feel of how often Danny needed to feed in order to avoid core flares, or drops such as this one. If Danny’s energy levels dropped too low he might fall into a sort of ghostly ‘survival mode’ as Vlad had done before his rescue. Danny’s consciousness would either be whittled down to the barest of his ghostly fixations or he’d be reduced to a frenzied state, focused solely on the consumption of ectoplasm with his core spiking uncontrollably and leaking energy through even his human form. Both prospects were equally as dazed and maddening, the latter was just more predictable. <br/><br/>Especially since Danny could only get his ectoplasm from one source. The last thing he needed was for Daniel to go all scary eyes with hunger and try to hunt him down in the middle of the day. He didn’t want it to even get close to that, lest Danny forget his control and ‘put Vlad under’ again. Vlad hated to admit it, and he’d blame it on the feeling of fear introduced by Danny’s energy if ever asked, but the new power honestly terrified him. The thought of becoming a mindless pawn, a plaything… <br/><br/>It was a cruel twist of fate that the person who received the gift of mind control was the mortal enemy of the one yearned for that total control the most. He spent literal decades making people do what he wanted, manipulating or simply forcing them to bend to his will through various conniving means. He supposed this was karma, something he deserved. <br/><br/>Vlad nibbled at the inside of his lip while lost in his thoughts, eventually pulling off his scarf and loosening his tie and collar when he came to his decision. He had to keep the young halfa’s core balanced so nothing got out of hand and exposed them for what they were. Now that they needed each other to survive, the secret they shared was all the more important. Vlad had enemies in the Ghost Zone, and Danny Phantom <em> damn </em> sure had enemies in the Ghost Zone, and if their mutual feeder status got out it could make them targets for anyone who wanted to take either of them down.</p><p>"We should feed."</p><p>Danny begrudgingly nodded in agreement before he noticed what Vlad was doing with his shirt and sat up in alarm.<br/><br/>“Wait, now? Here?!” Vlad paused, raising a brow. <br/><br/>“Where else, Little Badger?” The tie came off and Danny’s wide eyes fell to newly exposed skin and collarbones. Vlad didn’t actually have to remove anything since he couldn’t even be in this form to feed, but having Danny’s eyes on him like that was definitely worth the effort. “You said yourself you need to feed. Your parents think I’m up here talking to you about your little outburst, so they won’t be coming up any time soon. It’s better we <em> calm </em> your <em> quivering core </em> now rather than later.” Vlad finished with a smirk. <br/><br/>Blue eyes moved from trailing up Vlad’s neck to his face with a somewhat disgusted look. “Ugh, I hate when you alliterate, you sound like a super villain.” <br/><br/>“Ha! Look at you using this week's vocabulary words. 'Alliterate', good for you! Perhaps I won’t have to pay for those remedial English courses after all, my boy!” Vlad teased, loving the scowl that took over Danny’s face. “Besides, Daniel, I <em> am </em> a super villain.”</p><p>“Super villains don’t have to call themselves super villains.” Danny deadpanned.<br/><br/>Vlad smirked, trailing his hand down to undo a couple buttons on his shirt, “Then what would you call me, Little Badger? A bad boy?” He laughed out loud at the furious red blush on Danny’s face, unable to hold it in as the boy’s eyes fully crossed and he sputtered. Teenagers were too easy! <br/><br/>Danny glared through his embarrassment, narrowing his eyes at Vlad's excessive laughter. “Ugh, are you drunk again?” Vlad’s laughing ceased and he regarded Danny with an annoyed sneer for a moment. Could a man not cackle maniacally without being accused of being a drunk? He cackled sober all the time.</p><p>Instead of answering right away he transformed into Plasmius, drawling out a lazy "Not anymore.” He hadn’t actually partaken in much of the liquor he brought, though it had been just as much for himself as it was for the Fentons. He’d been relaxed, a bit sedated, but definitely not drunk. That would have made what they were about to do so much easier, much less nerve-wracking for Vlad.<br/><br/>Danny stared at him from under the covers. “What do you mean ‘not anymore’. Ghosts can’t be drunk?” Actually, that made sense. Ghosts didn’t even eat, outside of ectoplasm or consuming other forms of energy, how would they be affected by regular alcohol? <br/><br/>“I run far too hot in this form. It quite literally burns up, so I’m painfully sober, which is unfortunate since I am currently talking to <em> you</em>." He couldn’t pass up teasing Danny, and it did well to disguise the nerves he could feel building in his gut the longer they procrastinated. Feeding required close contact and he couldn’t stop thinking about Daniel’s mouth anywhere near him after his latest dream. “Did you have an alternate location in mind or something? Because if not then it’s best we get this out of the way now. I do have plans tonight.” <br/><br/>Danny quirked his head to the side, “Tonight? Are you going to the truce party? You?” Vlad was mildly offended by his astonished tone, as if he, Vlad Masters, would have trouble getting into a party of any kind. <br/><br/>“Yes, <em> me</em>, Daniel! I was formally <em> invited</em>, by this year’s host, no less.” The irritation in his voice was accompanied by the slightest air of smugness. <br/><br/>Danny held his hands up as if in surrender at the resentment in the man’s tone, “Okay! I get it, you’re a VIP, you’re ‘connected’.” He mocked, earning a fierce red glare. “Sorry, it’s just kinda surprising. I’ve never seen you at any of the parties before, and you don’t seem like the type to actually mingle with the ghosts. Or anyone.” He assumed Vlad just had meetings and contracts with people, strictly business, unable to imagine the guy actually kicking back at all, especially with other beings around. “Didn’t know you even knew The Ghostwriter.” <br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow, feigning disinterest in the discussion as he shrugged his jacket off, “One, I’m not going to this party to <em> mingle</em>, especially not with those below me.” He actually hadn’t thought about the fact that Danny would be there, though it made sense, the boy being such a peace-keeper. Now he’d likely <em> have </em> to talk to a few ghosts, just so Danny wouldn’t find out he was up to something and watch him like a hawk. “Two, I’ve been dead for longer than you’ve been alive, so of course I know a few ghosts. And as you said, I have my connections.” <br/><br/>He worked a few more buttons of his shirt and leaned towards Danny. “Though despite my connections, truce or no truce, I don’t plan on walking into a den of ghosts in such a state, so if we could get to it?” He was tiring of how easily distracted Danny was, like he was actively trying to avoid what needed to be done. At this point he was beginning to think Danny didn’t want to feed after all, despite how his arm was curled around his abdomen. Why put it off if he was clearly in pain?</p><p>Danny was a bit shocked that Vlad kept trying to rush him. He admittedly been stalling, feeling a bit like he had right before his first kiss with Sam, and Vlad was usually just as hesitant about being all close to him when they weren’t throwing punches. Maybe he really did just want to get it over with so he could go about whatever scheme he was formulating. That didn’t sit right with Danny but they couldn’t exactly hang out in his room all night while he tried to figure it out. </p><p>“You’re probably right. Might be a bad idea to walk into a buffet hungry.” He laughed at his own joke when Vlad didn’t, trying to lighten the mood. The man’s normal attitude had become strangely subdued and aloof. “But yeah, I shouldn’t show up like this…” Danny trailed off, feeling nervous now that it was time to actually do it, to bury his face in Vlad’s neck and feed. They’d done this before, so why did it feel scarier this time?</p><p>It was then he suddenly realized that both of the other times he’d bitten Vlad had been in the heat of the moment, unexpected and anxiety-free with no time to psych himself out. Now he felt like he was overthinking everything. What was <em> Vlad </em> thinking about? Would he make it hurt when it was his turn? Was he sitting too close to Vlad? Should he get closer? <br/><br/>He moved from under the blankets and next to the increasingly tense halfa, sitting on his knees and leaning forward a bit, only to freeze when he saw how Vlad was watching him. That made thinking even harder. <br/><br/>Vlad could read every emotion Danny was experiencing, so well that it might have been less noticable if he’d just written his feelings on his forehead. He was nervous too, but he hoped to <em> God </em> that he wasn’t showing it as plainly as Danny. The last time they’d fed had been… eventful, to say the least. Vlad knew, hoped, Danny wouldn’t dare try and put him under again, but now he was more worried about how close they’d have to be, remembering ‘waking up’ from the hypnosis pressed between Danny’s legs. The lab incident had also been the first time they’d used the ghostly venom to optimize their core energy, and he feared if they did so again that the resulting intake might further affect their response or even mood, might actually encourage a more <em> physical </em> reaction to their somewhat forced proximity like last time. <br/><br/>Daniel seemed just as hesitant, if not more so, chewing his bottom lip shyly. Vlad could tell they were thinking along similar lines from the bright blush, eyes going a little crossed as they sometimes did when he couldn’t quite wrap his head around something. He hadn’t even gone ghost yet, as he liked to say, so perhaps his distractions weren't intentional. Vlad regarded him unsurely. <br/><br/>Danny was feeling a little bit like he was under a microscope with how Vlad was staring at him, scrutinizing his every move, waiting to see what he’d do next. It made him a little panicked. Was he supposed to take the lead? He wasn’t the senior-most feeder here, so he didn’t see why the responsibility fell to him. Why was Vlad looking at him like that? <br/><br/>“Daniel,” He blinked at the even tone Vlad was using, “I’m not sure how tolerable ectoplasm would be if you consume it in human form.” <br/><br/>Oh. That's why. “Right, duh.” Yeah, that probably would feel weird. Might taste even stranger in human form. Danny let the rings of light flash over his body, changing him from Fenton to Phantom. He was painfully aware of his ghost core freaking out on him with angry waves and vibrations, making him much more eager to get this started, but after the transformation he felt stuck again. <br/><br/>What now? <br/><br/>His eyes roamed over Vlad’s form, how he was leaning back with his chest and neck exposed and his head tilted back invitingly, his legs slightly parted and hanging off Danny's twin bed. He would have assumed Vlad was looking all delectable on purpose if it weren’t for the intense, wary stare. So Vlad <em> was </em> expecting him to make the first move. </p><p>He steeled himself. The last thing Danny wanted was to make another traitorous mistake or cross any boundaries again, so instead of getting up close and personal and just draping himself along Vlad’s body like part of him wanted to, he decided to hover over the man instead for now.  <br/><br/>That got Vlad to relax a bit, seeming to understand and appreciate the gesture in good faith. He looked off to the side, tilting his head back further and Danny swallowed nervously, taking in the vision before him. It was like Vlad was offering himself to Danny, and he was, for the feeding, but Danny couldn't help the reddening of his cheeks as he thought of <em> other </em> ways Vlad could be offering himself up. After burning the image into his mind for later use, Danny floated lower, brushing his lips over the spot where Vlad’s neck met his shoulder before gingerly biting down. This time a soothingly pleasant wave of tingles thrummed through his being as he both heard and felt Vlad make a small grunting noise at the pain, despite trying to be gentle. <br/><br/>He hummed an apology, willing his venom to flow into the other ghost. Danny sighed through his nose, already feeling the effect on his core as the two substances seemed to mix. Again, it wasn’t necessarily the taste that was all that great, it was actually kind of weird and indescribable, but the <em> feeling </em> Vlad’s ectoplasm gave him had to be what drugs were like. If only Vlad’s energy stayed pleasant like this, instead of exacerbating his negative emotions as well, then the exchange wouldn’t be a problem because <em> this </em> was <em> so good. </em> It was like a sugar high for his ghost half. He thought he might float away, despite the fact that he was unconsciously lowering himself into Vlad’s lap, too overwhelmed to even keep up something as effortless as hovering. <br/><br/>The next little hum to escape him was one of delight, pressing close to Vlad when their bodies made contact, one hand drifting to the nape of Vlad’s neck as the other gripped his cape for dear life. His core felt so <em> alive </em> despite arguably being the deadest thing about him, but it was getting harder to think straight. He couldn’t tell if he was blacking out or just couldn’t see past Vlad’s dark hair, the only thing registering outside of his own thoughts was Vlad’s breathing and the low sounds that he was making every now and then when Danny sucked at his neck too hard. <br/><br/>Vlad was almost appalled at his body’s reaction to another’s being so close, to <em> Daniel </em> being so close. His mind kept flashing to the heat he’d felt in his dream, comparing it to the heat beginning to envelope him now. He should probably shove the boy off but it took all of his will power and focus just to remain unresponsive to the contact, though he could feel his control slipping. <br/><br/>He knew he wasn’t the only one getting lost in the sensation, judging by the way Danny’s body tried to meld with his. It didn’t seem completely intentional, but that only excited Vlad more, like Danny just couldn’t help himself. Feeding was done so his ghost half could survive and thrive, but it was making him <em> feel </em> things that were hard to ignore. He shouldn’t be thinking these things or feeling like this, especially with Danny. It was wrong and immoral and irresponsible and <em> absolutely thrilling </em> . <br/><br/>Danny pulled back right when one of Vlad’s arms buckled, making him fall back onto his elbows as he caught his breath, staring up at Danny as the boy licked at the glowing pink dripping from his lips. He looked… different. Vlad could only really focus on his dark rimmed eyes as Danny’s hand reached out to collect a bit from Vlad’s neck while he watched the wound close with interest, the healing accelerated further by the venom. He kept eye contact with Vlad as he licked the excess from his gloved fingers. <br/><br/>Vlad shivered at the predatory look. <br/><br/>“Your turn.” Danny said in a low rumble, grabbing the collar of Vlad’s cape with both hands and pressing him up against the headboard. Vlad couldn’t move enough to fight him, or even really argue, too weak and drained, yet his core energy was so stimulated and he was quite shamefully <em> worked up</em>. The way Daniel was straddling him now, manhandling him so easily… He remembered telling Danny not to confuse feeding for something it wasn’t, but how could he not when it was like this? Feeding had never been this… sexually charged for him. <br/><br/>Then again, ghosts didn’t go around pressing their very human bodies up against Vlad like this. It was exactly what Vlad had feared would happen, but he couldn’t remember exactly what he’d been afraid of at the moment. He watched almost helplessly as Danny pulled the neck of his jumpsuit suit down, leaning over and nuzzling his face against Vlad’s affectionately, in a way that <em> had </em> to be on purpose, he was sure. It was kind of precious, reminding him a little of his cat. <br/><br/>Precious as it was, Vlad was still taken aback by the eagerness. He remembered teasing Danny about possibly having a biting kink but he was really starting to believe it now. “Do you like this part, Daniel?” <br/><br/>Danny’s hesitation would have been enough to confirm his suspicion but he eventually answered anyway, a bit breathless. “... A little.” <br/><br/>Then Vlad felt the boy’s skin against his lips, the thrumming of the ectoplasm pulsing underneath as the boy’s ghost form imitated the blood of his human one. His lips parted against the cool skin, dragging pleasantly in a way that made Danny sigh. <br/><br/>Vlad usually didn’t bother with tenderness, but Danny had always at least <em> tried </em> to make it as painless as possible, so he decided to return the favor to the best of his ability. He gathered venom in his mouth before biting down in an effort to start the process of dulling the pain as soon as possible. If anything it worked too well, judging by the breathy noise Danny made against his neck. </p><p>He tried to focus on the task at hand, simply feeding and moving on so he could get to his plans for the night, but it was quickly beginning to feel like sensory overload. Danny’s shuddering breaths seemed to be amplified, echoing right into his ear, and the exhilarating feeling of energy flowing into him, the tingly, staticy feeling of the ectoplasm on his tongue, not to mention the way Danny was squirming in his lap, trying to press even closer. <br/><br/>That was dangerous. <br/><br/>Vlad snaked his hands between them to push against Danny’s chest a bit to try and regain some distance between their bodies, only for it to backfire completely when his hands made contact with the skintight material of Danny’s suit. He gasped against Danny’s neck, a surprised, somewhat wet sound. It felt almost <em> too </em> good to touch the younger man, Vlad’s hands tingled as they flattened against the other’s chest, subtly sliding over the muscles he discovered there. Daniel really <em> was </em> filling out… <br/><br/>Vlad knew it was a bad idea, that it would only further exacerbate things, but he blamed the feeding for turning his brain into jelly as he let his hands wander. He had just enough sense left to know that this probably wasn’t okay, but not enough sense to act on that knowledge. It was innocent enough, just his hands falling from their position against Danny’s chest. He could play it off, like he’d intended to push Danny away but gave up and let his hands drop, and it was true to some extent... <br/><br/>But they didn’t just drop. Vlad let his fingers dance reverently along Danny’s sides as they trailed down, making him squirm more than before as they ran down over his hips and down his thighs. He forced his hands to stay by Danny’s knees, resting there by sheer force of will as he tried to reign himself in and not do anything else so stupid. Danny’s eyes had snapped open when he’d felt Vlad push against him, widening further when his resistance seemed to cave in and the hands began to roam. His muscles flexed beneath Vlad’s fingers and it felt so <em> insane </em> to have Vlad touching him like this. Danny didn’t want him to stop there. <em> Why was he stopping there</em>? <br/><br/>Vlad’s breath hitched when he felt Danny’s hands over his own, gliding them back over his muscled thighs, silently asking for more. Vlad blindly followed the encouragement, allowing his hands to be guided up and he squeezed indulgently, unconsciously biting down harder. Vlad groaned against Danny’s neck at the feeling of having the boy at his fingertips, his grip sliding up again to knead just under his ass before Vlad actually realized what he was doing and his hands halted their exploration as he removed his mouth from the boy's neck, panting from the arousal or simply to catch his breath, he couldn’t be sure. <br/><br/>That was close. He might have crossed the line. He tried to lean back what little space was left between his head and the wall so that he could look into Danny’s eyes, see if there was any sign of shame or hate or regret, but the boy leaned with him, apparently not keen on facing Vlad at the moment. Vlad felt why as soon as he shifted, though he tried not to make a big deal out of it. <br/><br/>Danny shivered. He was <em> hard</em>, if not from Vlad’s hands on him then from the sound the man had made upon squeezing Danny’s thighs. <em> Fuck</em>. He was sitting in Vlad Plasmius’ lap with an obvious problem and now neither of them were moving, just listening to each other’s breathing. He supposed Vlad not pushing him away was a good sign so he remained still, unsure of how to go from there. <br/><br/>Vlad had <em> no </em> intention of pushing him away. <br/><br/>His hands were still on Danny’s delicious thighs, fingers brushing lightly up and down in worship after their brief moment of stillness. Neither of them said anything about it, or Danny’s obvious erection. Danny was still leaning against him and letting the man’s hands do as they pleased. It was so different from their usual contact. Vlad knew he should stop, and he wanted to, but touching Daniel like this was <em> addictive</em>. <br/><br/>No, the feeding was addictive. Venom made the act more addictive. He tried to reason with himself, clear the fog of his mind and think logically. He needed to calm down, revisit this when he wasn’t hopped up on the boy’s ectoplasm because it was <em> surely </em> influencing him, clouding his judgement. He watched his fingers run treacherously close to the sizable bulge before shying away. <br/><br/>What was he thinking? <br/><br/>Danny himself was beginning to feel nervous at the extended silence, almost scared that this was the calm before the storm and that Vlad would blow up any moment. He’d definitely gotten carried away. He hadn’t even <em> noticed </em> when they’d gotten so close, when he’d stopped hovering and climbed on top of the older halfa. He’d truly intended to hover the whole time, but then he lost focus and… It just happened. <br/><br/>But he’d certainly noticed when Vlad started touching back. The man’s hands were <em> still </em> on his thighs, petting them almost lovingly, perhaps absentmindedly. He didn’t want it to stop, so he kept his face hidden in Vlad’s neck a bit longer, enjoying the feeling. It was confusing as all hell considering Vlad’s behavior in the park. First he was telling Danny not to fall in love with him and calling him a fool, and now this, whatever it was… Did Vlad know how crazy this was making him? Did Vlad even realize what his hands were doing? Was he aware they were touching him like this? <br/><br/>The last question made Danny gather his wits, and courage, and shakily lean back just far enough to look into Vlad’s eyes. Their pinkish-red glow was cast down at Danny’s lap, watching his hands, so Vlad at least <em> saw </em> what he was doing. </p><p>Wait, Vlad was staring down at his lap.</p><p>Danny sat back a bit, quickly placing his hands over his obvious arousal and trying to bring his knees together to hide how the encounter had excited him, as if Vlad hadn’t already gotten an eyeful.<br/><br/>“That was… something.” Danny said dumbly, not knowing how else to break the ice. “I feel better.” He added with an airy chuckle. He frowned when Vlad’s hands stilled as the man looked up at him, a bit dazed at first, but then shock was visible on his face. Danny supposed it was appropriate, but it was still unnerving. <br/><br/>“What?” He said sharply, quickly beginning to feel self conscious. Was Vlad judging him? He didn't have a whole lot of experience or anything, of course something like that would get him hard! And Vlad's hands were so strong... <br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes were squinting at him searchingly, “Daniel… You look…” But he didn’t finish, leaving Danny’s mind to frantically fill in the blanks. Was he being awkward? Did he look stupid? Hot? <em> Please say hot </em> … <br/><br/>Vlad’s hand rose up to cup his face, thumb swiping tenderly under his eye, then moving to touch his ears with a curious expression. He’d noticed a change just after Danny fed, but now he could see it was more than just Danny’s eyes. Danny flinched away at the tickling sensation, his hand flying to his ear as if to soothe it and discovering what Vlad had been so enthralled by. He frowned. That didn’t feel right, not like it usually did. He pinched the cartilage blindly, staring at Vlad’s face to gauge his reaction since he didn’t have a mirror. <br/><br/>A mirror! He shifted off Vlad’s lap, moving carefully so as not to draw further attention to his aching groin. The confusion at Vlad's reaction was quickly taking care of the issue anyway, and he flew over to his dresser to stare into the mirror that was built in, his hands flying to his mouth upon seeing his reflection. <br/><br/>Like Vlad, the first thing he noticed was the deep black surrounding his eyes. It wasn’t something he could chalk up to eye bags from lack of sleep or dark circles either. They really looked dead. Deader than before. His teeth seemed to have grown too, more specifically his cuspids, the fangs longer and sharper looking than before, nearly protruding. He could feel them poking out from his lips under his palm. His hand drifted from his mouth to his ears, turning his head to see better. They were pointed now, not as demonic or elvish as Vlad’s, but noticeably not human. <br/><br/>His hands were shaking and he could feel panic welling in his gut. Even his skin looked different, almost duller despite the nearly overpowering glow. He tended to look a bit tanner in this form, but he’d always thought it was because of the color of his hair, that it was just the contrast. That wasn’t the case now. His skin had a gray quality to it, but it was faint. It was too familiar. Not the shade, necessarily, but the ashen tone… <br/><br/>Danny looked into his eyes again and saw tears welling. They were like Dan’s eyes. They were <em> just </em> like Dan’s eyes, only green. A shaky sob rattled his tight chest and he collapsed to the ground and out of view of his reflection, hands gripping his hair as the tears began to fall. <br/><br/>Clockwork said it wasn’t possible. He <em> said </em> Danny was human, that he wouldn’t turn into Dan. He <em> said so. </em> Why was this happening? Why would Clockwork lie? He can’t turn into Dan. He can’t. <em> He can’t he can’t he can’t he can’t he- </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> “Daniel, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” He heard Vlad, and he felt the man’s presence, but he couldn’t see him. He couldn’t see anything, not really. Danny brought his knees up to his chest, unconsciously rocking and shaking as he sobbed. <br/><br/>Vlad had watched the sheer terror consume Danny as he studied his reflection. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, the way he seemed to crack little by little the longer he stared at himself. Vlad could relate to some extent, recalling the first time he’d seen his ghostly form in all its monstrous glory. His had been corrupted from the beginning, but he still remembered the shock and horror of his drastically different appearance. <br/><br/>It rubbed him the wrong way, how eerily similar Danny had looked at one point in his dream to how he looked now. His eyes weren’t fully consumed with green and he wasn’t nearly as possessed-looking, but the eyes and fangs and the <em> energy </em> was all the same. <br/><br/>Was this part of the maturation process? How long would Danny experience changes like these? Could his energy be corrupting Danny’s core? Was that even possible?</p><p>He wasn’t sure if it was because they’d just fed, but Vlad thought he could almost <em> feel </em> the waves of energy emanating from him, tinged with wild, despairing panic. Vlad was next to him before he could even fall all the way to the ground, leaning over but stopping when he wasn’t sure what to do. Danny was crying, his body tensed up with his elbows on either side of his knees, hands gripping his hair so tight Vlad thought he might pull it out. His eyes were unblinking and wet as they stared between his feet that were moving him back and forth ever so slightly. <br/><br/>He’d never seen Danny like this before, not in all their years of ruthless battle. He wasn’t sure what to do. </p><p>“Daniel,” No acknowledgement. “Daniel.” He repeated a little firmer.<br/><br/>Nothing. <br/><br/>Vlad frowned, slowly lifting his hands up to rest on Danny’s atop his head. He gently pried the boy’s fingers from his snowy locks, trying to avoid ripping any of it out as best he could. He held Danny’s hands there on either side of his head, waiting for a reaction. <br/><br/>“Can you hear me, Little Badger?” He finally received a watery blink, then the fluorescent green gaze lifted to meet his.</p><p>He slowly lowered until he sat on his knees at Danny’s side, dropping one of Danny’s hands to touch his face again. White eyelashes fluttered when Vlad’s fingers got too close to his eyes.<br/><br/>“Are you… okay?” It felt like a stupid question but Danny answered it seriously anyway, even if with only a shake of his head and a soft whine escaped his frowning lips as he began to sob again. Vlad let his hand slip into Danny’s hair before carefully pulling the boy’s head to his chest, allowing Danny to cry there, leaned against him. He’d never actually comforted someone like this before, not someone so distraught at least. Was this acceptable? He couldn’t be sure. He supposed they’d been much closer a few minutes ago but the atmosphere in this moment was very different. <br/><br/>They’d definitely have to have to talk about before, but this matter seemed much more pressing. <br/><br/>Danny leaned into him, fewer tears and shaking slightly subdued but he was still not quite present. Vlad stroked his hair, his fingers easily sliding through. His mother used to do that when he was a child, it had been soothing whenever he was upset. Danny began to calm down soon after he started, so it seemed to be effective. <br/><br/>Vlad continued with that for a while longer until Danny seemed to get a hold of himself, his silence now a thoughtful one as he pressed his cheek to Vlad’s collarbone, a little exhausted. Vlad craned his neck in an attempt to read his expression and Danny pulled away some, though he remained close. He appeared to be deep in thought, his forehead wrinkled and brows pushed together, no doubt still panicking but on the inside. <br/><br/>“It’s not bad,” Vlad started quietly, getting a confused look from Danny as he drew back his hand from the boy’s hair, allowing some distance. “You just look a bit more ghostly than before, Little Badger. It may seem scary to see yourself so… undead, but you wear it very well. I would know.” His expression was almost comically pompous as he daintily rested his hand just below his chin, as if presenting his face as a perfect example of spooky elegance. <br/><br/>The sheer amount of ridiculous arrogance in the action was enough to elicit a snort and a much needed smile from Danny. He shook his head at Plasmius, “Yeah, that’s <em> exactly </em> what I was freaked out about.” His tone was dry, but it wavered just enough for Vlad to pick up on it. <br/><br/>“Then what is it, Daniel?” Was that not the scary part? What else about having ghostly features would warrant a panic attack? <br/><br/>Danny’s jaw clenched, “I don’t really… I don’t want to get into this right now, okay? I just need to look like myself again.” It was the same tune as before, changing the subject. Danny was avoiding something. It was something big and it was something important, at least to Danny, and he’d decided he needed to keep it a secret from Vlad. <br/><br/>Why? Besides the fact that they were mortal enemies who constantly fought to one up each other and bring the other’s demise. That seemed to be in the past with how things appeared to be progressing, but it was a lot to put aside, and Vlad wouldn’t trust himself either if he were Danny, so he didn’t blame the boy. Still, it scratched away at the back of his mind. He obviously had to figure it out himself. The older halfa knew it had something to do with Clockwork, and therefore time. Plus, Danny had mentioned the future before derailing the conversation. </p><p>Vlad’s eyes squinted in confused suspicion, unable to line up the clues and formulate a theory with those tidbits alone. “Okay,” He conceded for now, setting those thoughts aside for later review when he noticed Danny’s gaze burning into him. He didn’t want the boy getting agitated again, not when he was practically overflowing with ectoplasmic energy now.<br/><br/>Danny huffed a breath of relief when Vlad didn’t push the issue, then he inhaled sharply, “Shit. I can’t go to the truce party like this.” Vlad raised a brow. <br/><br/>“Why not?” Not that he cared if he saw Danny there or anything, but he was curious. <br/><br/>Danny gawked at him, “Um, because I look freakier than normal? Because my teeth and ears are pointy and I look like I haven’t slept in however many centuries old <em> you </em> are?” Wasn’t it obvious? <br/><br/>Vlad only scoffed, “What, you think you might scare the <em> ghosts</em>, Daniel?” <br/><br/>Danny growled, not liking how Vlad was treating him like he was an absolute idiot, like this wasn’t a big deal. “No, you cuck, I can’t just show up like this and pretend it’s not fucking weird. It’s <em> beyond </em> weird, and it’s noticeable as hell. What if they ask me about it? How the hell am I supposed to explain all <em> this</em>?” He snarked, gesturing wildly about his face and person. <br/><br/>It took Vlad a few seconds to process anything past being called a cuck, but he decided to pretend he hadn’t heard it and move on. <br/><br/>“Don’t?” He responded with the same dramatic sass Danny had lashed out with. “Just shrug cluelessly like you usually do? We don’t even fully understand halfa biology yet, what makes you think ghosts do?” He’d never received any strange reactions from the ghosts, and his appearance was much more off-putting. If anything it was his human half that made them uncomfortable. “They won’t know that this is abnormal if you play it off well enough, it could come with maturation. Why would they even care?” Honestly, Danny cared way too much for what people thought.</p><p>If anything they might be more welcoming to him if he looked more like them. Danny had always looked exceptionally human compared to the other ecto-entities, while Vlad actually looked more ghostly than some. Before Danny came along there were ghosts that had just naturally assumed that Vlad was completely dead based solely off of appearance and his penchant for torment. The way Danny looked now was much more halfa-esque. Vlad couldn’t imagine the other ghosts having a negative reaction to that.<br/><br/>Danny did not feel the same. “I care! It <em> is </em> abnormal for me!” He took a deep breath, feeling himself get angry at Vlad’s nonchalance. Of course it didn’t seem like a big deal to Vlad, he wasn’t the one who was <em> physically </em> changing with their transfer. <br/><br/>A scary thought entered Danny’s mind. <em> Oh no. Oh god… </em> <br/><br/>Had he taken in too much again? Maybe he used too much of his ghostly venom? Could one <em> over </em> activate a ghostly core? He must have too much of Vlad’s energy in him, it was poisoning him and he was turning into Dan. He was turning into Dan. He couldn’t stop repeating it in his head. Clockwork said it wouldn't happen but it was happening, slowly, he was sure of it. It was happening. Just as he feared, just as Clockwork said it wouldn't. <br/><br/>“Daniel,” He flinched, not realizing he’d zoned out again, his thoughts swirling in a circular fashion in his head. He was getting ready to renounce his ghost half when his gaze settled on Vlad’s flowing locks and an idea popped into his head. It was a quick fix, but it was all he could think of in the moment. <br/><br/>“Show me how to change.” He said abruptly, catching Vlad off guard. “My appearance. In ghost form. I’ve seen you do it a few times. Show me how.” He was trying to sound demanding but it came out broken and sounded like he was begging and he hated it. He hated how desperate and scared he sounded, he hoped it wasn’t as obvious to Vlad. <br/><br/>If it was, the man didn’t acknowledge it. Vlad simply wrinkled his nose at being bossed around. Nocturn was right, that entitled attitude <em> was </em> annoying. Nevertheless, Vlad rolled his eyes and made a show of forming his hair into their notorious horned style. Danny watched in mild wonder. <br/><br/>Vlad didn’t really understand what was so impressive, it was just common form manipulation. He truly didn’t know how Danny had made it this far, the boy had no concept of how far he could take his capabilities if he just applied a little will power and imagination. He conveyed as much, drawing a slightly indignant look from Danny. <br/><br/>“I’ve said it before,” Vlad gave a fangy grin before mocking, “Bright boy.” <br/><br/>Danny scoffed, knowing Vlad was quoting his first words to him as Plasmius. He ignored the strange feeling they brought on, a certain nostalgia, not understanding the significance. “Just tell me how to do it!” He said instead of dwelling on it, not in the mood for Plasmius’s taunts. <br/><br/>Vlad was liking his tone less and less. “Or what, Little Badger? You’ll <em> make </em> me?” The question hung heavy in the air, making Danny’s throat feel dry from the resulting gasp. “Are you going to use your <em> ominous </em> ghost whispers and puppeteer me into giving you a detailed lesson, hm?” Vlad’s face dared him to answer yes, eyes narrowed dangerously. Part of him was really annoyed that Vlad was bringing up the incident in the middle of his breakdown but most of him cringed in shame. <br/><br/>He couldn’t see the other letting that one go for a long time. If it was anyone besides Vlad he wouldn’t have blamed them, but it was Vlad, so he was still annoyed. <br/><br/>Danny wondered if Vlad would ever trust him. He didn’t know why it mattered, it never had before, but they weren’t enemies anymore. At least, he didn’t think they were. Their truce was a complicated one, full of unsaid rules and nuances that they picked up as they went along, rules they constantly bent but rarely broke. He racked his brain for some way to put the other at ease, convince him that it wouldn’t happen again and it wasn’t something he had to worry about if they fought or trained together. <br/><br/>“It doesn’t work if you’re human.” He said suddenly. “Or, well, in human form for us, I guess. The ghost whispers, I mean.” He added upon seeing Vlad’s confused stare. He kind of liked that for the name of his cool new power… But he hated what it had done for his and Vlad’s potential relationship.</p><p>Vlad’s face was unreadable and he said absolutely nothing in response to the reveal. Danny had no earthly clue what the older halfa was thinking and it was proving to be too much for him to handle. “I think we filter it out or something, but Tucker could hear it on a different frequency, he just had to find it on his PDA, messed with the chanels, then again that’s probably what you did with the recording, aha, duh- Oh, I’m rambling, sorry...” Vlad’s unyielding gaze was making his mouth run nervously to fill the empty silence and while he was aware of this habit, he could do nothing to stop it from happening.<br/><br/>Vlad was processing the information a bit slower than usual, trying to wrap his head around why Danny was disclosing such a large weakness to him. He was the only ghost who would be able to exploit such an unusual Achilles heel, or at least use said heel to avoid being controlled. Danny didn’t seem too intent on controlling him though, not if he were willing to expose the secrets of his power. <br/><br/>“When did you discover this ability?” Maybe Danny would tell him even more. It had to be a newer gift, one that had developed very recently because he was sure Danny would have used it on him a long time ago if he’d been able to, especially when they were still actively at each other’s throats. <br/><br/>It was definitely a rarer gift too. Vlad had only ever heard of more powerful entities having influence over other ghosts, and that was usually over lower-level beings, so he wondered how Danny had pulled it off with him. <br/><br/>“It kinda just happened accidentally, like all my other powers…” Vlad fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course it had happened by accident. These things just seemed to fall in Danny’s lap. <br/><br/>“Do you survive by sheer dumb luck alone? Have you ever actually trained to unlock any other gifts? Actually tried?” He could only imagine Danny’s capabilities under his tutelage. He knew it sounded like he was ragging on the boy again, and he was to a degree, but he really felt he could almost overflow with anticipation of what they could do together. <br/><br/>This conversation seemed like much safer territory to Danny than looking like Dan or referencing their forced kiss, especially since Vlad’s attention seemed to be on him again instead of time travel, so he was happy to ride the change of subject despite Vlad’s grating tone. </p><p>“Hey! I <em> was </em> attempting to unlock a different power, this is just the one that came out instead. I was trying to practice mimicking voices with Dani and got caught somewhere between talking and a ghostly wail.” He didn’t miss how Vlad seemed to tense ever so slightly at the mention of Dani’s name. <br/><br/>“That’s an easy one too, Daniel, about the same level as altering your form. You truly skipped the basics and went straight into that ghostly wail of yours, didn’t you?” Danny frowned when he realized Vlad wasn’t going to say anything about Dani, or his visible reaction to hearing her name. He didn’t know if it was because she was just one of his ‘failures’, or if there was something else there. <br/><br/>“The ghostly wail was due to extenuating circumstances,” He explained after a moment, looking for an excuse to mention his cousin once more. “But I wasn’t under any sort of stress when I was with Dani. We were just trading lessons I guess.” Unsuccessfully, but still. He was watching Vlad’s face to see if he’d react to Dani’s name again but his expression remained unchanged. <br/><br/>He didn’t ignore it completely though, his voice coming out as young and feminine and disturbingly<em> just like Dani’s</em>. “<b><em>Who do you think taught her that little trick</em> </b> ?” Danny’s eyes were the size of dinner plates. Dani’s sweet little voice from when she was twelve coming out of Vlad’s mouth was one of the creepiest things he’d seen or heard in awhile. <br/><br/>“You can do that too?!” Then Vlad’s actual words sunk in. He’d never thought about how good Dani had been with her powers when they first met, how she already knew so many things about herself as a clone and as a ghost. She’d been younger than him, technically only a few months old when they met, but she’d nearly matched Danny’s skill at the time. It made sense that Vlad had trained her, taught her how to access and utilize all of her powers before releasing her into the world to do his bidding, but it still seemed like a massive feat to impart that much information to someone in such a short time. <br/><br/>It made him more eager to train with Plasmius and see what he too could learn, but it mostly made him view the man in a different light for a moment. He imagined Vlad sitting next to Dani somewhere in his mansion, the two of them pouring over his research and ghostly findings, him teaching her about the ways of the world. Him showing her how to go invisible or shoot ecto-beams, and evidently how to mimic voices. <br/><br/>Vlad might have been a really great father if he hadn’t ruined it.</p><p>“Yes, Daniel. I can do that too.” He seemed amused, if not a bit lost in thought. Or maybe lost in memories? “Though I do suspect teaching <em> you </em> to do that will be much more draining than it had been with Danielle.” Vlad looked down with that thoughtful expression again. “She was an extremely bright girl, and I’m not being sarcastic like I am when I call you that.” Danny glared, drawing a smirk from Vlad as the man’s voice hardened a bit. “Though you’re both ridiculously naive.” <br/><br/>“Or maybe you’re just a really good liar?” Danny snarked back. <br/><br/>Vlad gave a graceful shrug, not offended in the least. “It’s a little of both, I’m sure.” He seemed pleased with himself for a moment before looking back at Danny. “I could teach you too. We could start training after the new year.” The uncertainty in his eyes was almost endearing, as if they hadn’t already agreed to do it. <br/><br/>“Or we could start now? We can go back to the basics and go over the milestones I skipped or missed, starting with ‘form manipulation’, as you so expertly put it.” He tried not to stare too hard at his dull skin, the eerie undead luminescence that glowed a little brighter than usual. He instead watched as Vlad made to stand, gripping Danny’s arm and pulling him up as he moved them back in front of the mirror. <br/><br/>Vlad watched in interest as Danny’s eyes avoided his reflection. It was strange to him now that he knew it wasn’t Danny’s appearance itself that was disturbing him so. Vlad could make out the faint trembling of Danny’s hands almost too easily thanks to how brightly he glowed now. He’d have to unravel all of that later. </p><p>He walked up behind Danny, reaching around to grip his chin and face him forward, forcing him to look in the mirror. “You’ll need to focus on visualizing your form, so you’re going to have to look at yourself long enough to take in certain details, just for a few moments.” He could understand the fright of something like this happening so unexpectedly, especially since neither of them knew for sure why, but he really didn’t look all that different, still more similar to his human appearance than Vlad to his. Plus they’d both seen scarier, much more grotesque beings in their time so this didn’t seem like cause for panic to Vlad yet, though he did mentally vow to look into it. It was good that he was going to Ghostwriter’s library tonight anyway, since he’d likely be needing more research material.<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes watered again as he eventually looked up and stared into his eyes but no tears fell. His cheeks and lips were being squished together by Vlad’s hold on his jaw and he jerked his head away from the man’s grasp. “Okay. Fine. I see it. Now what?” He wasn’t trying to sound so short but he didn’t think he could help it right then. <br/><br/>Vlad didn’t pay it any mind, stepping back and once again altering his features. With a grand sweep of his hands he made his cape disappear, his hair flowing down onto his shoulders once more. “It’s about how and where you concentrate your energy. What do you want to change first?” Danny frowned at the mirror, taking it all in again. <br/><br/>“M-my… My eyes.” They were way too familiar. <br/><br/>Vlad gave a thoughtful hum, “I think they look quite distinguished. Makes the color really pop as well.” Vlad raised a brow as Danny’s fist balled at his side. <br/><br/>“I don’t care,” Danny snapped. “I hate them. It looks like I’ve seen hell-.” His voice caught in his throat and he swallowed thickly. Technically he <em> had </em> seen hell. He himself had brought said hell on earth. <br/><br/>No. Not himself. Dan. Dan did that, and he wasn’t Dan. He wouldn’t turn into Dan. <br/><br/>Clockwork said so... <br/><br/>He was broken free of the cyclical thoughts when fingers trail pleasantly over his tense shoulders, causing them to relax and fall a bit. <br/><br/>Vlad could feel himself getting better at this comforting thing. It was easy because he didn’t seem to have to use words with Danny since he responded so well to touch. Not having to think or speak made it feel less awkward. “It’s going to be like when you sometimes form a hole in your body or split yourself to evade certain attacks, just like any adjustment to your form.” He let his hands come up from behind Danny and rest over the glowing green orbs when he saw how hard they were fighting to stay focused in the mirror. He spoke softly and calmly into the younger halfa’s ear. “Envision yourself looking how you did before. For now, just change one little thing at a time.” <br/><br/>Danny breathed a shaky sigh, trying to do as he was told. He imagined his eyes devoid of the soulless dark circles, focusing his energy there as best he could. He felt Vlad’s hands lift from his face a bit to see but he was still afraid to open his eyes to check for himself. <br/><br/>“Good…” He heard Plasmius say. Danny blushed at how hot the man’s breath was, feeling it against his ear. At least he was doing something right. “Now pour that same energy into adjusting your other features. Think about how round your ears were. Remember the tan shade of your skin and your straight teeth. Concentrate on making your fangs a more comfortable size. Good, stay focused.” <br/><br/>Having Vlad’s hands over his eyes really made it easier for him to focus on the instructions and actually apply them. It didn’t <em> feel </em> like anything was happening but Vlad’s continued encouragement pushed him not to give up, to keep doing whatever he was doing. “Very good.” Vlad almost whispered, slowly removing his hands. <br/><br/>He slowly, hesitantly opened his eyes. A hysterical giggle of relief spilled from his mouth when he looked like himself again, his usual Phantom form. “I did it…” He said in disbelief. He’d never successfully changed his form like that before, not consciously or outside of battle. <br/><br/>Vlad seemed quite proud as well. “I knew you could, Little Badger.” He transformed from Plasmius to Masters in a dark flash, the warm look on his face still present. Evidently he hadn’t been aware of his expression because when Danny returned his smile he stiffened and his face went blank, almost professional. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s getting late. I’m going to say goodnight to your parents, you would do well to pretend to be asleep.” <br/><br/>Danny frowned, both at the reaction and remembering his parents. He turned around to look back at Vlad after shifting to Fenton himself, still able to feel the thrum of his core under his warm human skin. “What are you gonna tell them?” He felt bad for the way he’d been treating his mom and dad, and not just at dinner. They probably thought he was having some sort of pre-graduation break down. Vlad had mentioned college, maybe that’s why they’d sent him to talk to Danny? <br/><br/>He didn’t really expect the actual reason. “They think you may be suffering from some mental illness.” And Danny knew Vlad was using that dead-pan tone for effect, to see Danny’s reaction, but it still provoked his incredulous shriek. <br/><br/>“<em>What?! </em> ”<br/><br/>Vlad raised a hand, “Calm down, Daniel. Think about it. You were experiencing things the way I might, and you reacted similarly of course. They lived with me for several of the most stressful years of my life and have seen such behavior. Technically they aren’t wrong for once, but it isn’t actually all you.” Danny still looked absolutely dumbfounded at his parents’ conclusion and Vlad sighed in exasperation. <br/><br/>“I’m not going to let your parents think you’re ill, Daniel. I was simply planning to explain that you’re going through a bit of an identity crisis or something of the sort. A half truth, if you will.” Was that a pun? His smile was far too amused for Danny’s liking. <br/><br/>“Do you think this is funny? That my parents think I’m crazy?” Did Vlad want to turn it into some miserable inside joke about their core exchange, how his parents will never understand him or what’s happening to him? How was that funny? If Vlad kept teasing at their ghost powers like this then his parents would find out about him much sooner than he was planning for them to. “Making all of these secret, vague references is going to make them more suspicious of what’s actually going on!” <br/><br/>Vlad scoffed, rolling his eyes. It was always a rollercoaster with Danny. “I’m remaining vague because it <em> is </em> a secret, you little fool. What makes you think that you’re idiot parents will connect those two dots if they haven’t connected the million other dots surrounding your identity? Our identity? Let me have my fun, they’re clueless.” It kind of hurt to admit to himself that Vlad was right. It was also weird to hear Vlad say ‘idiot parents’ instead of ‘idiot father’. <br/><br/>“Don’t call them that. They aren’t idiots. It’s not their fault.” He’d lied to them for so many years, and he was their son so they believed him. He couldn’t hold that against them. <br/><br/>Danny racked his brain for some excuse for his behavior, “Tell them…” He tried to think of something normal, something every teen experienced now and then that would upset them. School? His grades? Not believable. His report cards reflected just how few fucks he gave about that. Something normal, something normal… <br/><br/>“Ah!” He exclaimed, snapping his fingers, “Tell them I was dumped! Say someone dumped me right before Christmas!” Yeah, that was good! That would bum anyone out. <br/><br/>Vlad seemed impressed too, and he wasn’t sure why that filled his chest with pride. “Well, well, not bad. It seems you’re picking up my talent for deception, Little Badger.” He deflated a bit. That wasn’t something he was hoping would transfer… “A few more core transfusions and I might make a politician out of you.” <br/><br/>Danny scowled. “Yeah, well it isn’t too far from the truth. You literally dumped me. From the sky.” And they both silently acknowledged what had set off his stormy mood in the first place. Vlad had that regretful look on his face again and Danny shook his head when the man opened his mouth to speak. “Yeah, yeah, I have shitty taste in romantic interests.” He drawled, echoing Sam. <br/><br/>Vlad frowned, “That’s not at all what I was going to say. You obviously have very <em> refined </em> taste if you truly hold an interest in me. You just make poor decisions.” Danny huffed a laugh at the cockiness. <br/><br/>“Yeah, you’re telling me…” He trailed off. <br/><br/>Vlad stepped closer to him, eyes locked on his. “In all seriousness, I was going to say if you ever feel so desolate again, even if I am the cause, it is important that you come to me before your emotions begin to manifest physical influence over certain elements in the living world.” Danny blinked, having been hit with too many words at once. <br/><br/>Manifest physical influence? What? “What do you mean?” <br/><br/>Vlad gestured to the busted lightbulb above their heads, then to his fried night light. “The electrical frequencies, the cold spots, the lights. It all comes from the state of your core and the energy you respond with.” Had Danny never put that together? <br/><br/>Vlad couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if Danny’s core had been like this since adolescence. While a mature core was more volatile, it was significantly more powerful due to the surges in energy. Perhaps that was why the change happened only after Danny got older, like maybe Mother Nature knew the fresh hell that would be unleashed if an ‘adult’ core had to respond to the intense and ever changing mood swings of a half ghost, half human child. <br/><br/>The potential for devastation was unfathomable. <br/><br/>But Daniel wasn’t that same child anymore. He was growing into a very contemplative man who seemed so very motivated to understand how to handle these situations and the emotions associated with them. He was already much more mature than Vlad had been at his age, at least in that sense. Seeing such potential made Vlad want to offer as much wisdom as he could, build off of that head start and see what Danny could become. <br/><br/>“Daniel, if you get too emotionally distraught you could disrupt any semblance of stability to your core now that it is so much more susceptible to imbalance. That’s why your core’s essence is ‘leaking out’ even in your human form. We can’t wait until you start losing control again for you to decide to feed. I am willing to… make myself more available to you, if only to ensure our ghostly peace of mind.” <br/><br/>Danny’s bright pink blush was visible even in the dark. “I-I… I’m not sure what you’re saying here.” Vlad was going to make himself more available? The way he’d said it was so <em> suggestive</em>, at least it sounded that way to Danny. Available for what kind of things? His mind was racing through the possibilities. </p><p>Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, likely to hide his own embarrassment. “I meant our ever-complicated truce, <em> Danny Phantom</em>. Coaching. Guidance. I have experience in both life and the afterlife, and I can train you in the ways of both if you’re as willing to listen as you say.” <br/><br/>The ghost stuff sounded awesome, but Danny grimaced at the thought of Vlad lecturing him about how to handle his emotions and day to day struggles. It was laughable, how out of touch Vlad could be sometimes. How would he ‘train’ Danny out of being upset or mad, especially when he was even more of a miserable sad-sack? He could teach him how to control his ghostly response to the emotions maybe, but they’d still be there. Maybe if he just locked them away and ignored them... <br/><br/>“Though, for matters of this life, I’d likely be doing more listening.” Vlad finished. Oh. That surprised Danny just a bit. Part of him hadn’t thought Vlad capable of more than running his mouth, but he also supposed the thought of confiding in Vlad had been unthinkable for so long that he’d pushed it out of his mind as a possibility. <br/><br/>“Peace really isn’t your thing.” Danny comments off-handedly. It was enough to convey his lingering distrust in this truce proposal. <br/><br/>Vlad just lifts a brow, “I know. It’s yours.” He makes a vague gesture to where his ghostly core would be, alluding to the foreign energy within. “I find it funny that you’re more than willing to let me demonstratively obliterate you in a training room, but I give you an opportunity to vent your woes to a sympathetic ear and you’re suddenly not so sure if you can trust me.” And while he did find it funny, he also found it uncomfortably relatable. He’d much rather destroy his feelings than talk about them. <br/><br/>Plus it was much easier to trust someone with your body than it was to trust them with your mind. <br/><br/>“‘Sympathetic ear’,” Danny sneered. “Okay, <em> Jazz </em> . So, what, you’re my therapist now?” Vlad gave a snobby laugh, one that only rich people could pull off. <br/><br/>“I think I’m supremely underqualified to be giving any sort of advice on how to conduct your mental state,” Danny seemed to slouch a bit, so Vlad quickly added, “But I can’t think of anyone who would better understand you or your plight.” <br/><br/>“I mean I actually have friends, but,” Danny begrudgingly nodded, “I guess you’re right. You kinda <em> get </em> me in a different way.” Danny sat on his bed, pulling the blanket over his legs. <br/><br/>“Yes,” Vlad agreed, turning for the door. “I do ‘get’ you. Good night, Little Badger.” <br/><br/>Danny sunk down into his bed and prepared to feign sleep like Vlad had suggested, hiding his phone under the covers to pass the time while he waited for the party to start later on. “See you later tonight.” He said almost hopefully, and he barely refrained from cringing at himself again. <br/><br/>Then he noticed Vlad pause at the door, staring back with a startled, almost bashful look. “Y-yes, see you tonight then, Daniel.” He held back a laugh, liking how the older man looked flustered. Then he remembered something from earlier in the night. <br/><br/>He called out just before the door closed, “Oh, by the way, Vlad?” and it opened again for Vlad to peek his head around it. <br/><br/>“Yes, what now, Little Badger?” <br/><br/>Danny gave the shittiest smirk he could muster. “Nice hair.”<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry if this is so long but I needed it all in one chapter because reasons.<br/>Thanks for all y'all's encouraging comments.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Time Lost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad deals with feelings of the past clashing with feelings of the present. Maddie deals with something much more pressing. Does Danny even deal?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the wait, I joined discord and it's ruining my life. I am so easily distracted. Hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Vlad stiffly made his way down the stairs after promptly slamming Danny’s door shut, his face blazing red. Danny had indeed noticed that he’d left his hair down and had shamelessly called him out on it. He didn’t know why he hadn’t just put it in a ponytail when he had the chance. Now Danny would think that it meant something, that Vlad wanted his attention when he definitely didn’t.<br/><br/>The thought made him pause at the top of the stairs to reflect, for once not letting himself shut down the prospect outright.<br/><br/>Did he want that attention from Danny? It <em> was </em> nice… More than nice. He hadn’t showed up tonight with the express expectation of things getting physical, but he’d been fully aware of the possibility and still came over, with his hair down just how Danny liked it no less. The unsettling part was that it felt more than just physical, even on his end. Danny’s affections still didn’t make sense to him, but he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed the outcome of the night’s visit. He could feel his resistance waning, unable to remember why he fought so hard in the first place and no longer quite as motivated to maintain his previously insisted distance.<br/><br/>Vlad <em> absolutely </em> wanted that attention.<br/><br/>He’d had a taste and now he feared he might be hooked and it was unnerving. The ectoplasm he’d consumed from Danny was consuming him right back, and it took monumental effort to remind himself that he was under the influence of another’s energy and that it would be extremely unwise to take any action in this state(anymore than he already had). He was feeling too good to be making any finite decisions or plans so he knew he had to play it safe, not get too caught up and end up somehow ruining whatever this was turning into. He didn’t know what to call it, but their last feeding <em> sparked </em> something inside him. Even now the little breathy sounds Danny had been making kept replaying in his ear, making him wonder if a blush could physically burn one’s cheeks if their core got hot enough.<br/><br/>He shook his head, stowing those thoughts away for now, instead thinking about how Danny seemed to change after they exchanged ectoplasm. Those eyes had mesmerized Vlad, so much so that he hadn’t even seen any of the other changes until after he finished feeding. Danny had never done something like that before, not even by himself judging by his reaction, so it could only be the feeding or their ghost puberty theory. The latter was beginning to fall flat in Vlad’s mind.<br/><br/>Was maturation supposed to last this long? He supposed human puberty lasted several years, so it wasn’t too far-fetched, but he didn’t know enough about the ghostly process to say these changes were normal.<br/><br/>Maybe it truly had been a result of feeding. Other ghosts changed as they grew more powerful, some simply growing in size while others experienced something closer to what Danny had just undergone. But it was strange for a halfa, at least in Vlad’s experience. He always felt almost overpowered after feeding, but he wasn’t so overwhelmed by it that it changed him physically, not like it had changed <em>other</em> parts of his being, namely his personality, tendencies and fixations. Was it something akin to an allergic reaction or overdose? He felt like he was grasping at straws. There were too many variables and not enough facts to narrow it down, and the scientist in Vlad wanted all of the answers right now.<br/><br/>Maybe this was normal and meant nothing? Perhaps Danny’s core was adapting or changing because of Vlad’s energy? The timing of everything was almost too coincidental but he couldn’t say how or why, he just knew something was off about all of this. It was like a high-stakes guessing game, and as much as Vlad loved games, he hated guessing. Danny’s change was gnawing at him despite his earlier reassurances to the boy, and he wanted to start searching for the answers to his questions right away to alleviate the oncoming dread.<br/><br/>He was pulled from his musings when he ran into Maddie, who seemed to be waiting for him just a few paces from the end of the stairs. He felt his heart drop instead of the usual soaring it used to do upon seeing her. Good <em> God</em>, how could he look her in the eye after having his hands on her boy? Her <em> child? </em>Danny’s guilt made the comeback of a century and he burned in shame when he remembered her kind words to him before dinner.<br/><br/>Her eyes were searching now. Could she tell that something had happened? Had she heard something? They’d been alone in Danny’s room for nearly two hours, maybe she figured out they weren’t just talking. The thought that Madeleine knew anything about the confusing feelings he was developing for Daniel made him feel… He didn’t know how to describe what he was feeling in that moment but he knew he wanted nothing more than to burst into flames right then and there.<br/><br/>Vlad forced himself to calm down. She didn’t know about that. There was no way for her to know what had happened up there, and she wouldn’t have left them alone if she had even the slightest idea of what was going on. His eyes scanned the room like it would give him something to say, which was something he’d never had to do before when it came to conversation, being as articulate as he usually was. Fortunately he noticed Jack passed out on the couch and lifted a brow, nodding his head in the man’s direction and sending her a look, hoping he wouldn’t have to open his mouth first because he wasn’t sure what would come out.<br/><br/>Definitely a Danny trait, that’s for sure.<br/><br/>She followed his nod and  looked over at Jack. “He ended up having a bit too much…” She explained, her voice just above a whisper. “We were talking down here and… He’s just taking it hard, that Danny’s growing apart from us.” And she shrugged but it was more hopeless than casual. “It reminded him of back in the day, being so close to you and the three of us having so much fun together, only for you to shut us out days at a time. Then you shut us out for twenty years.” There was the slightest touch of bitterness creeping into her tone, like she still held a bit of resentment towards Vlad for how badly the shunning had apparently hurt Jack. A guilt trip. “It just stung is all, hit us a little close to home.”<br/><br/>Vlad was stupefied. He had no idea they had been so affected by what happened. Granted, he’d been a bit wound up in the turmoil of discovering he’d half died to check up on the very people he’d shut out for nearly killing him, but it made him feel a little less crazy for holding onto his revenge for as long as he did. Maddie and Jack still held onto some old scars from him as well. All this time he’d thought he was alone, that they were out living their beautiful lives full of love, having completely forgotten about him.<br/><br/>For once, Vlad wished he could do something to help them understand. He wished there was a way to explain what had happened to him, to their relationship, without revealing what he’d actually become, who he’d become. He’d spent decades so full of rage and hate, directed at Jack but taken out on anyone who crossed his path, and he stopped at nothing to get whatever he wanted. Maddie had seen glimpses of who he was inside, but she really had no idea. She’d know if she found out he was Plasmius, though. She’d know just how irredeemably depraved he’d become, how far he’d fallen from the person he’d been, even the person he pretended to be now. He couldn’t let her find out.<br/><br/>Despite his indifference at the dinner table, the thought of them actually catching him and figuring out he was Plasmius was probably his worst nightmare. He’d been too calloused to care as much before, but now he couldn’t stand the thought of them knowing. In all of his years plotting his revenge and subsequent marriage, he’d never actually considered life after victory. He’d win Maddie and then what? She would only try to kill him or run away again once she found out the truth. Would he have given up his ghost half upon marrying her? Would he hide it forever? Had he even planned that far ahead? It was hard to follow his old thinking patterns when he felt so different from the man he’d been just a few months ago, much less the man he’d been <em> four years </em> ago when his mischief had peaked. He didn’t think he could handle the Fentons actually rejecting him now, not anymore.<br/><br/>He knew Danny’s energy was responsible for this change, and while his hate for Jack and his love for Maddie was still very present, they were fading fast. Vlad didn’t think it would ever go away for good, it was too deeply ingrained in him. He still remembered what that bitterness tasted like, and he tasted it still, even now, but there was something sweet that had been layered on top.<br/><br/>Hanging around her and Jack made him feel like the person he’d been in college, alive and hopeful, juggling his normal, human struggles, depressing as they were. While part of him hated that person, another part of him missed how it had felt at times, to live simple and clean. Being with Maddie and Jack like this, pretending nothing had ever happened, was almost like time travel in itself. A time capsule. A foolish, ignorant time capsule.<br/><br/>One that would be destroyed if they found out his secret. He had to find a way to reassure them that Danny would be okay without exposing the boy’s ghostly identity, or his own, but even he was unsure if Danny was truly well, though for slightly different reasons than the Fentons. He and Danny were both half ghosts, but Vlad had never aged into any core changes before he began feeding from the boy, certainly never any form changes against his will. Once again the little Phantom had thrust him into the unknown with his ghostly developments.<br/><br/><em> Would </em> Daniel be okay?<br/><br/>“Daniel is fine,” He said instead, more than comfortable with fudging the truth, “I sat him down for a long talk and it’s simply that there is very much going on in his young life right now. The end of his childhood, growing into a man, high school being over, his friends possibly going separate ways. All perfectly normal, but often painful parts of growing up.” She was hanging on every word. It was too easy to lie to Maddie, almost no fun. He was beginning to understand how Danny hid his other half for this long.<br/><br/>“Is that all?” She questioned, a bit of that lost hope returning to her voice. “He was just so upset. The lashing out, the mood swings, the gloom.” She huffed a laugh in relief, “I even looked up the signs in one of Jazz’s old psych books before calling you! It was so much like that time in college, before we started the blueprints for the proto-portal…” She looked up at him, “I mean, it was like watching <em> you </em> all over again, like one of those episodes.”<br/><br/>Vlad pursed his lips. He knew exactly which fit she was referring to. He didn’t like to reminisce on the lower points in his life, when his temper and psyche were so fragile. It was laughable now, the traumas of his human life felt like minor inconveniences after the accident. After he died and became Plasmius. Even so, they weren’t the nostalgic parts of his youth that he <em> liked </em> to remember. He didn’t want her thinking that her son was anything like him, not the person he was then <em> or </em>now.</p><p>There was so much that couldn’t be said, but the hope in her eyes was pulling at him. “Daniel’s a perfectly healthy young man, there’s no need to worry about anything like that.” He could at least tell her that much.</p><p>She gave him a small, thankful smile. “Thank you, Vlad. Jazz gave us an earful about how we shouldn’t push our responsibilities off on someone else, and we didn’t tell her why we reached out to you specifically, but she’s still right. We just didn’t feel equipped to deal with what we thought was going on. We were scared that if he didn’t have an outlet or someone who might understand, he might totally cut us off…” Her expression was sad again, unable to meet his eyes. “Like you did, after the portal exploded.”</p><p>Vlad winced, definitely not wanting to have <em> this </em> conversation. He opened his mouth to feed her more empty reassurances about her son instead but whipped his head to the side when his sensitive ears picked up a stumbling footstep by the kitchen. His eyes narrowed in on their red-handed eavesdropper as she awkwardly said goodnight to her mother and scuttled up to her room. It was times like this he wished he had ghost sense for certain living beings…<br/><br/>He scowled when he realized Jasmine had likely heard them talking about his earlier college days when he’d still been dealing with his family and he loathed the idea of her trying to psychoanalyze him based off of what little she might have heard. Maddie had been fairly discreet in her wording but Jasmine was an annoyingly sharp girl.<br/><br/>Maddie was decent enough to look sheepish, not having realized her daughter was there, but she also hid a bit of apprehension. Vlad’s quick reflexes to the sound surprised her, she hadn’t heard anything until Jazz was making her way to the stairs. She supposed his jumpiness made sense, being the Mayor in a ghost infested town while trying to promote his anti-ghost ordinances. </p><p>Despite being an anxious mess in college, Vlad had always been quite fearless when it came to specters, and he loved researching the paranormal and building things with her and Jack. Now he seemed exceptionally wary of ghosts and ghost weapons, even their non-lethal inventions, more so than the regular civilians. She couldn’t help but think that it was due to the accident, that it was hers and Jack’s fault that Vlad stopped doing what they’d all loved so much in their younger days.<br/><br/>She dismissed the notion when she heard Jazz’s bedroom door finally shut upstairs, easy to hear with the house being so dead silent now. She didn’t want to ride that train of thought anyway, instead refocusing her mind on her son, still not sure that his recent behavior could just be chalked up to school ending. </p><p>“So then… That’s really all? Just graduation and all that?” Danny had seemed so much more distraught than that. He was a tough kid, so she’d been sure that something else was going on.<br/><br/>Vlad internally rolled his eyes, externally plastering a woeful look on his face that feigned great sorrow. Time for the big guns. “Well, to tell you the truth, Maddie dear… He didn’t want me to say anything, but he’d been seeing someone at school and they broke up with him, just before Christmas break, too.” Vlad made a show of sighing, like his heart was heavy for the boy. “Teenage puppy love, cut short. Daniel is quite heartbroken at the moment. Cried himself to sleep, poor thing.” And he did feel a twinge when he remembered Danny’s actual tears. Acting was powerful.<br/><br/>Maddie’s hands rose to her chest, “Oh, my baby…” And she looked truly wounded by the fact that someone would be cruel enough to hurt her sweet son. Vlad wondered what she’d do if she knew all the ways <em> he’d </em> hurt Danny.<br/><br/>He didn’t want to find out. </p><p>“Yes, love is cruel and all that, but young Daniel will bounce back from this.” She gave him a look that said she wasn’t so sure, and it confused him a bit.<br/><br/>It must have shown on his face. “Some people don’t bounce back so easily.” And they both knew she was referring to his obsessive behavior toward her over the years. He stayed silent, unsure of how to respond.<br/><br/>Maddie sighed, “I didn’t even realize Danny was dating again. He wasn’t this bad off when him and Sam broke up, and I thought <em> that </em> was painful to watch. This must have been serious.” She began to pout, no doubt hurting for her youngest. Vlad could see that she really did care for her son, that she was a good mother, she was just too far out of the loop to understand him, to even know him really.<br/><br/>It was sad. He’d never thought too deeply about how their family dynamic was affected by Daniel’s hybrid status until today. He probably hadn’t wanted to. It might have been harder for him to do the things he’d done if he’d known that it was like this.<br/><br/>“Just give him some time, Madeleine.” Vlad placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “He has my number. I told him to call or swing by my place in Polter Heights if he ever wants to talk.”<br/><br/>She nodded, disheartened that she couldn’t be her son’s confidant like she’d been when he was a boy. They used to be so close… “I’m just glad <em> someone </em> can stand in and be there for him, even if I can’t.” She walked over to her husband’s sprawled form and lifted one of his bulky arms over her shoulders, heaving him up off the couch in a startling show of strength. Vlad swallowed, taking her threats against his ghost half at the dinner table a bit more seriously.<br/><br/>Her face showed little strain from the effort it took to move the hulking man, just a tinge of grief, then gratefulness as she settled her gaze on Vlad. “I’m going to take this one to bed. I’m glad you’re the someone that Danny responds to, Vlad. I trust you not to steer him wrong.” It was admittedly hard to say, but she really meant it, she really did trust him. Vlad had revealed a sneaky, underhanded side of himself that she hadn’t known in their youth, but it really felt like he was changing again.<br/><br/>Vlad was frozen in his spot for a moment as she lugged her husband over to the stairs. He quickly snapped out of it, rushing over to Jack’s other side to help her haul him up to their bedroom in silence, his mind reeling.<br/><br/>Madeleine trusted him? All these years of plotting and scheming and working so hard to get her to drop her guard so he could get close to her and it finally happened. He could feel his ghost core almost rattling within his human form and he felt like he was about to snap. This was it. This was his chance. Jack was already essentially incapacitated, and they would soon be all alone once they dumped him upstairs. This was the moment he’d been working and waiting for. She was a fool to trust him. He’d finally done it. He got her.<br/><br/>They dropped Jack’s dead weight onto the mattress, cringing at the loud creaking of the spring so late at night. Maddie sent him another one of those small, sweet smiles, silently thanking him for his help before leading him back downstairs. This was it. This was <em> it</em>.<br/><br/>They stood by the entryway, Maddie helping him put on his coat, Vlad’s body stiff as a board as he opened the door and gripped the knob on the outside, his body still hanging back inside the house. He paused there in the middle of the threshold, realizing how conflicted he was. He kept telling himself that this was his chance to break Maddie, that he was the only one who could help her son and she knew that. He could easily hold it against her, use it to somehow manipulate her and make her be with him. Yet while his mind was circling that, his body was literally half way out the door, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there and far away from the sources of his imminent mental break.<br/><br/>Despite feeling torn he knew exactly which one to follow, since, for once, his body had the right idea. He realized that he couldn’t trust his mind right then, and that was a scary thought. It reminded him of when he’d been losing it, unable to tell when he was lucid or getting caught up in what Daniel had called his more ‘grandiose delusions’. Was this one of those delusions?<br/><br/>Were his feelings for Danny just delusions?<br/><br/>Which feelings were real and which were the result of his emotional high? He knew the ectoplasm fed straight into his core, which was obsessed with Maddie, but it was <em> Daniel's </em> ectoplasm.<br/><br/>Did he have any true feelings for either of them? Both of them?<br/><br/>“Are you gonna be okay to get home, Vladdy?” Vlad realized he must look crazy. That or still drunk, staring at her blankly with the door half open. He felt stuck. Hearing Maddie speak so kindly to him made his heart flutter warmly... just not how it used to. Again, he wanted to be upset about it, but it just felt so nice. Couldn’t he just be happy that she was in his life again? She’d been a marvelous friend before the accident, before he’d pushed them away and shut himself off. It felt good to have that back, that care he’d been missing, even if it wasn’t what he thought he needed from her.<br/><br/>It made him wonder if it was more her acceptance that he craved, not her love. When she chose Jack it had been like rejecting him, telling him he wasn’t good enough for her. It drove him to stealing his riches, making a name for himself and rising to the top. If not to prove Maddie wrong then to prove it to himself. He <em> did </em> deserve her love. He <em> did </em> deserve her companionship. He was worth it, he was worth<em> billions-</em> and she still didn’t want him.<br/><br/>The flame of that envy and spurning burned familiarly in his gut, but not as all-consuming as before. It felt like a shadow of what it once was, of what he once was. If this was one of the ways Daniel had changed him, he couldn’t say it was so bad. He reminded himself that she would never be able to fully accept him anyway, not if she knew the truth. Not only was he a ghost, he was a notoriously evil one who had committed countless atrocities and crimes to get where he was.<br/><br/>He would gladly try to bury his old feelings if it meant that she could at least accept his human half again. He hadn’t realized how badly he craved it.<br/><br/>“I’ll be fine, Maddie dear.” He answered finally, allowing some of the concern for his sanity to ebb out of her expression. “But I really should be going. Thank you for inviting me to have dinner with you all again. Have a lovely Christmas tomorrow.” And he tried to slip out before he could change his mind and steal her away.<br/><br/>“Wait!” He stalled just before shutting the door behind him, letting go of the knob when he felt her opening it once more. He turned to look at her curiously. “You could come by again tomorrow if you like? Maybe watch that game with the boys?” He imagined himself sitting between Danny and Jack in front of the TV on the edge of their seats, cheering together, him laughing like he had in college.<br/><br/>Unbeknownst to himself, Vlad was shaking his head, hands twitching in his coat pockets. It was too much, too soon and he needed time to think. The little fantasy brought him such a warm, whole feeling that was so foreign and new that it was <em> frightening </em> and there was that <em> damned </em> fear and anxiety again… He felt it envelope his entire being, almost answering for him.<br/><br/>“I’ll… have to get back to you. Goodnight, Madeleine.” And he turned to walk down the street before she could stop him again. He was far too overwhelmed with energy and emotion to be making any promises right now. He couldn’t process anything objectively at the moment, especially not the slow and painful death of twenty year old feelings.<br/><br/>Then there was Daniel. He couldn’t even begin to think about how he felt when Danny had been in his lap, his firm thighs flexing under Vlad’s fingers… He was still riding the high of the feeding, he was sure of it. He needed tomorrow to get his head on straight, figure out how he truly felt. Vlad reassured himself that he was fine without being surrounded by family or someone who understood him for such a holiday, that he didn’t care about anyone’s love or acceptance, but he knew he was just lying to himself.<br/><br/>He cared. He cared too much, even.<br/><br/>Vlad knew he’d fucked up, he’d played himself by agreeing to come in the first place. What was his purpose if not to kill Jack and have Maddie? What was his prize? Danny’s face appeared in his mind's eye and he growled at the resulting warmth that spread through his chest.<br/><br/>Just a few gentle words from Maddie, just a few provocative touches from Daniel was all it took to make him so confused and torn and almost giddy. Was this what was to become of him?<br/><br/>The great and merciless Plasmius, stripped of his vengeful motivations, dissolved into a needy mess of yearning and attachment, pulled away from everything he once knew all because of one boy’s affections.<br/><br/>A Christmas miracle indeed.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Maddie watched after her old friend with concern. Perhaps she shouldn’t have leaned on him so hard with Danny. He seemed much more troubled now than when he’d arrived. She knew it was always hard for him to talk about such heavy subjects. Maybe having him discuss those things with Danny had taken a lot out of him? She didn’t regret it, she’d do anything if it meant her baby would be okay, but it did make her all the more grateful to the man.<br/><br/>Vlad had changed so much since college while she and Jack had stayed almost exactly the same. Older, a bit more mature, but they essentially exuded the same chaotic energy of their youth. Vlad on the other hand became an entirely different person. </p><p>She remembered after the accident, thinking that he’d eventually let them come see him, like he normally did when he locked them out of his bedroom in the apartment after a blowup, that he’d crack and finally talk to them so they could move on and be friends again like usual. They’d get past it and be stronger together in the end.<br/><br/>But Vlad never cracked. He laid in the hospital and refused visitors or even calls. He dropped his dream major and switched to business, where he’d obviously been extremely successful, but still, the point was that he had <em> changed</em>. She remembered their reunion, how overbearing his presence had been, how overconfident and prideful he was. He even talked differently from how he did when they were young. Then there was that stunt in Colorado, she thought she’d never get over that. She’d been so angry at him, and Danny had been quite furious too…<br/><br/><em> Danny... </em><br/><br/>Maddie frowned, pulled from her memories and back into the present, closing the door once she saw Vlad turn the street corner and making her way upstairs. Danny seemed to hate Vlad a lot longer than she did, even after Vlad had saved him that time Amity got stuck in the Ghost Zone. There was still a weird tension surrounding them when they were together, but at least they got along well enough now. Vlad was his godfather after all. She’d gone out on a limb when she reached out to Vlad, but she was glad she did.<br/><br/>Danny seemed to open up to him. If it was heartache ailing her baby then she knew she sent in the right person for the job. She’d always been aware of Vlad’s feelings to an extent, only finding out the true depth of them years later, so she knew Vlad would be able to relate to a bruised heart, and maybe that’s what Danny needed right now?<br/><br/>She carefully cracked his door, leaving it open to allow some light into the dark room as she peaked her head through before walking the rest of the way inside to lean over her baby and watch him sleep. Her handsome boy. He was growing up, finding out about life and love and hurt. She wished she could protect him from all of it, but she knew she had to let him go, just as he’d said at dinner. She’d eventually have to set him on his own to figure it all out.<br/><br/>It had been easier with Jazz. Her eldest was so ready for the world, so confident in who she was and sure of herself. She’d been mentally prepared to be on her own since she was twelve, something Maddie didn’t really take pride in. She and Jack had poured too much of themselves into their work, and while Jazz flourished under the lack of supervision, Danny seemed to be struggling to keep up in his life.<br/><br/>Her lower lip quivered as she began to gingerly pet his hair. She’d failed her baby, so much so that he didn’t even want to confide in her. He must have been in so much pain to lash out the way he did, to push them all away and act so detached. Danny loved hard. The girl that broke it off with him must be a real fool, whoever she was, because how could anyone hurt such a good, sweet boy?<br/><br/>She stretched her arm behind her and placed it on the bed, intent on sitting at the edge of it to watch him sleep some more, only to jerk back into a standing position upon her hand landing in a wet spot. She stifled a shriek, praying to <em> God </em> that it wasn’t what she thought it was. She’d had to wash her fair share of stiff socks in her time as the mother of a developing boy, but she’d never stuck her <em> hand </em> in it! She didn’t even want to look but she knew she’d see it anyway when she went to wash it off in the sink, so she shakily lifted her slimy fingers into the light.<br/><br/>Her brows drew together in confusion.<br/><br/>Her fingers were covered in a very familiar but strange, almost mucousy liquid that <em> glowed </em> faintly when she shut the door to eliminate the light coming from the hall. She looked over at the spot on the bed, easily finding it once her eyes adjusted to the dark and she knew what to look for.<br/><br/>Ectoplasm.<br/><br/>It was the tiniest little puddle at the foot of Danny’s bed, like it had dripped onto his comforter from somewhere. She looked up at the ceiling, not seeing anymore pink but noticing the faintest scorch mark next to the light fixture. One of the glow in the dark stars stuck to Danny’s ceiling had been moved to cover most of it up but it was still visible from this angle. She looked at Danny’s sleeping form in puzzlement, silently creeping back to the door with her soiled hand stuck out far in front of her so it wouldn’t touch anything. Maddie paused before going out into the hall, sure that she was crazy but still wanting to test one little thing.<br/><br/>She hesitantly flipped the switch to Danny’s bedroom light, her face darkening when nothing happened. She thought about how cold her house had been, how much colder it was by Danny’s room earlier in the night and she looked at the ectoplasm on her hand in absolute disgust.<br/><br/>Maddie closed the door, fear and anger consuming her as it all started to make sense. She marched downstairs and through the kitchen to punch in the codes and unlock the security doors to the lab, freezing for a moment at the top of the basement staircase as she saw a bright flash.</p><p>The portal. Maddie barreled down the stairs, activating the ecto-laser ring she kept on her finger at all times, luckily on her clean hand. She dismounted from the second to last step to throw off the intruder should they be waiting for her, landing in a crouch with her laser primed and her arm tense as she aimed around the lab. The portal gates were closed. Maddie narrowed her eyes. She <em> swore </em> she’d seen the familiar green glow of the Ghost Zone, the tell-tale flash of light bleeding through the gates as they opened the bridge between worlds. Her eyes scanned all around the dimly lit space as she searched for anything amiss, taking slow, careful steps toward her ghost equipment.<br/><br/>She relaxed only after turning on the lights and putting on the specter-deflector, a difficult feat with one hand, and she walked over to her workstation to perform the task she’d come down here for. She collected as much of the vibrant goo from her hand with a test tube before washing off the remains at the lab’s decontamination station, lost in thought.<br/><br/>Why hadn’t she seen it before? The signs were all there, she couldn’t believe she’d actually thought her son was bipolar or something, that he was having a mental breakdown.<br/><br/>It wasn’t just ‘normal teenage heartache’ or growing pains, either. Vlad was wrong.<br/><br/>The cold, the lights, the unexplained, aggressive mood swings and behavior.<br/><br/>And now <em> ectoplasm</em>.<br/><br/>Maddie was no idiot, and she’d studied ghosts for years. She thought back to all those times that their inventions went off around Danny, how their sensors beeped incessantly like there was a ghost <em> in their house</em>, despite all of their force-fields and anti-ghost measures. This entire time, all of their ‘failed’ inventions had been working just fine- if she was right, though she hoped she wasn’t. Even Danny’s behavior around the Blood Blossoms made sense. It was so obvious to her now, in hindsight at least, and she kicked herself for not figuring it out any sooner.<br/><br/>Danny was possessed.<br/><br/>And she knew of only one ghost with this particular shade of ectoplasm.<br/><br/><em> The Wisconsin Ghost.  </em></p><p>
  <em> Plasmius. </em>
</p><p><br/>-</p><p><br/>Danny opened his eyes when he heard his bedroom door close, staring at the light underneath until it went out. He’d had his eyes closed the entire time his mom was there with him, but at one point she’d tensed and stood straight up for several minutes. He wasn’t touching him anymore but he could hear and feel her presence still in the room. Most of all he could feel her eyes on him. She’d stared for awhile.<br/><br/>For a horrifying moment he thought he might be glowing or something freaky like that but she’d eventually turned and left the room.<br/><br/>He heard his mom’s footsteps heading towards downstairs instead of to her bedroom and he frowned. Was she seriously about to work right now? Right before midnight on Christmas Eve? He rolled his eyes as he transformed into Phantom, turning intangible and racing to beat her to the basement so he could leave without having to sneak by his mom or her gadgets.<br/><br/>He could hear her coming through the kitchen and he frantically scrambled to open the doors, slamming his hand on the button to close it behind him on his way in. He breathed a sigh of relief upon getting through to the Ghost Zone before she saw anything, that breath feeling more like fresh air than he was used to. He inhaled again.<br/><br/>It felt strange to be in the Ghost Zone this time, but he couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t a bad feeling, just peculiar and hard to define. It was like he could feel every inch of the endless abyss around him, like it was watching him but he was watching back and it should have felt scary but he was oddly at peace. Weird. It was very brief, and before he could pick it apart the feeling went away, leaving Danny to look over his shoulder suspiciously every now and then, but ultimately move on. </p><p>He wondered what that was about, never having experienced something like that, but then again it would just be another thing on a long list of firsts for the night. With everything going on he had no idea if it was because his ghost core was just feeling at home here after feeding on so much ecto-energy. Or maybe he was just more dead or something. He<em> looked </em> like it.<br/><br/>Danny frowned, eyeing his extra luminous skin nervously. He lifted his hand to feel his ear and sure enough, it was pointed. He knew he probably had the eyes too...<br/><br/>His lips formed a small pout. He wished he knew why this was happening. It was reminding him of when he first got his powers, how they’d randomly pop up or appear out of the blue. One day he just woke up with the ability to shoot ecto blasts from his eyes and that was the just type of random bullshit he dealt with as a ghost hybrid. Vlad had said it might just be part of maturation, so maybe it was like back then. This was normal and nothing was <em> happening </em> to him.<br/><br/>It sounded a lot like denial, but it was much easier to stomach than any of his other theories.<br/><br/>Vlad’s ectoplasm corrupting his core wasn’t one that he liked to entertain. His core needed it, demanded it, and why crave something so corrosive to it? He felt great inside, at least right now, like he was supercharged, though he knew that might also have had something to do with the way Vlad had been touching him.<br/><br/>Oh God, but he’d looked like <em> this </em> when they fed.Like <em> Dan. </em> He supposed if anyone would be cool with his new look it would be Vlad’s spooky ass, but still. He didn’t want to think about it. He was going to a party for ghost’s sake, he needed to get himself together and act like it. Danny closed his eyes and visualized his normal form, imagining Vlad telling him what to do next, thinking about how it sounded when Vlad breathed praise into his ear. He shivered, trying to push <em> those </em> sensations out of his mind to focus harder on the sensation of moving his ghostly energy.</p><p>It was like the time he’d worn Tucker’s glasses for a day. At first he could feel them on his face, but after a while he forgot they were there(though he’d had a headache for half the day). The changes to his form felt conscious when he first applied them, but as he flew through the Ghost Zone it became as absentminded as floating. Keeping up the appearance took no concentration or any real power once he got the hang of doing it, and Vlad had made it so easy. Now he didn’t have to explain to anyone why he looked different, so the crisis was averted.<br/><br/>He was glad he could hide these changes at least, and the internal struggles that came with the exchange could be dealt with over time and practice as well. He could <em> resist </em> the personality side-effects of Vlad’s ghostly essence instead of just masking them like his appearance, even if it was hard. As dishonorable as kissing Vlad under hypnosis had been, he hadn’t done anything truly unforgivable, nor did he have any desire to. He didn’t feel evil. He didn’t want to destroy the human world. That had to count for something. He was still himself.<br/><br/>Danny stared out into the endless black and green, flexing his hands and fingers at his side as he reassured himself. He took his time as he floated through the Ghost Zone to his destination, lost in his thoughts and not in any particular hurry to get to a party that would essentially be going for twenty four hours. It didn’t matter what time he got there, he just had to get back home before six or seven in case his parents wanted to start Christmas early.<br/><br/>He felt his nerves dissipate as he approached The Ghostwriter’s lair. He was fine, everything was fine. No one would be able to tell that he was altering his form. No one here even knew about Dan. He was just going to kick back, have fun, and hang out with all the ghosts that spent three-hundred-sixty-four days out of the year trying to pummel him into a fine paste.<br/><br/>There were lots of other strange ghosts hanging out between the large ornate pillars outside the floating building, and despite never having seen them before, he felt oddly familiar with them. It was a weird feeling, like that contentment he felt upon entering the ‘Zone. He wasn’t given much more time to think about it when a smaller ghost tackled him at the entrance.<br/><br/>“Danny! You’re here!” Danielle’s arms squeezed around his middle excitedly, holding him down.<br/><br/>He groaned, mostly for show. “Yeah, I’m here! Please release me!” She giggled, getting off him and allowing him to stand. She waited until he was on his feet before grabbing his hand and taking off, weaving them through the floating hoards. “C’mon I gotta show you something!”<br/><br/>Danny grinned, soaking up her excitement as the odd feeling from before faded.<br/><br/>Ghosts were still staring at them, but they’d done the same thing last year after seeing two halfas together in the same room <em> not </em> fighting, so he ignored it. They probably assumed halfas didn’t get along in the wild or something, but that was a fair assumption if they were basing it off of his and Vlad’s relationship.<br/><br/>Well, what they’d <em> seen </em> of his and Vlad’s relationship.<br/><br/>Danny thought they were getting along just fine based on the last interaction, but the other ghosts didn’t need to know that.<br/><br/>His cousin, and subsequently Danny, slowed to a more tentative pace so as not to knock anyone over. It was very crowded this year, which shouldn’t have been the case in a never ending library. Ghosts hoarded in large groups across the main floor of the building, mostly lower level beings who didn’t speak any living language and lacked human features.<br/><br/>“Pretty bumpin’ party…” He knew it was a truce but seeing so many ghosts gathered still put him on edge. They reminded him of a swarm or an army, which was never good, and the energy of the room just… wasn’t party energy.<br/><br/>Dani seemed to follow pretty easily, unnerved by all the eyes on them. Well, on Danny.<br/><br/>“Yeah bro, the little guys have been acting kinda antsy.” That was an understatement. “They were hanging out outside the library when I showed up, and I came early to help Ember and Skulker decorate. They’re really into this shit. I think Ember just likes to party.”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, more intrigued in the ‘little guys’ behavior than by Ember and Skulker’s holiday spirit. “I wonder why…”<br/><br/>His clone pulled him along when he paused, “I dunno dude, Wulf says those kinds of ghosts are the way they are because they’re more in tune with the Ghost Zone or something. Well, not in tune, ingrained?” This time she was the one to stop, as if neither she or her original could think critically while in motion. After a moment she shrugged and continued along through the throng and into another hall, this one less crowded, but with more familiar ghosts. “I dunno, I’m still learning Esperanto.”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyebrows shot up, “You talk to Wulf? That’s my buddy, man.” Dani grinned as she nodded.<br/><br/>“Yeah, dude, we’re pretty tight. How do you think I get in and out of the Ghost Zone all the time? Not like the Greys have a portal, and I can’t exactly use yours or jerk-face’s. Plus he’s teaching me Esperanto while he helps me brush up on my Latin.” Danny gawked at her.<br/><br/>“You know <em> Latin</em>?”<br/><br/>Dani smirked, “Yeah dude, Vlad taught me. Mandatory Ghost knowledge. It <em> is </em> a <em> dead </em> language.” They both laughed insufferably at the pun, happy to be in the presence of someone else who appreciated their ridiculous sense of humor, even if they were essentially the same person.<br/><br/>Danny was impressed though, by both Vlad and Dani. “I can’t believe he taught you a whole ass language.” Though Vlad was nothing if not patient and efficient.<br/><br/>His clone shrugged and nodded begrudgingly. “He’s actually a great teacher when he’s pretending not to be a psychotic, evil scientist, asshole.” She finally stopped him in front of a table with various ectoplasmic substances Danny couldn’t help think reminded him of the fancy hors d’oeuvres at one of Sam’s mom’s galas, only these were clearly for ghosts if their neon glow was anything to go by.<br/><br/>The set up was actually really impressive, especially considering how much of a loner the host was. “Wow, The Ghostwriter really pulled out all the stops, huh?”<br/><br/>She feigned a gag. “It’s just Ghostwriter, dude. Putting ‘The’ in front of your name is pretentious hell.” She pulled him further down the table, “Besides, that stuff isn’t what I wanted to show you.”<br/><br/>Dani pulled him further down the table of ghostly treats to stop at the end in front of a <em> massive </em> cauldron full of some purplish liquid he’d never seen before. “<em>Look</em>!” Her eyes sparkled excitedly.<br/><br/>“And what exactly am I looking at?”<br/><br/>Dani brought her tiny hand to her mouth to smother her giggles, “Spirits. Ghost alcohol.” Danny’s jaw dropped in mild shock before a grin spread onto his face.<br/><br/>“You mean BOOze?”<br/><br/>Dani let out an outright guffaw, surprising her older cousin with the volume. “Oh my god, I’m dead.”<br/><br/>“Only half, buddy...” Danny squinted suspiciously at her unstoppable chuckles, vaguely reminding him of the first time he used his Ghost Whisper. “How much of this stuff did you drink?” And how many of the other ghosts were fucked up?<br/><br/>She was about to respond, likely with some sassy quip, when a third party crept into their conversation. “Ah, <em> Danny Phantom. </em> ”<br/><br/>Danny whipped around to see Ghostwriter swirling some of the purple substance in an overly embellished chalice, eyeing him with a knowing smirk. Danny frowned, not liking the look on the other ghost’s face, especially after learning that he associated with Vlad, but not being able to do anything about it during the truce. “And it’s good to see you again too, Danielle.” He added as an afterthought. Dani growled at the use of her full name, correcting him under her breath.<br/><br/>Danny quickly responded before she could bite his head off. “Ghostwriter. Sweet digs.” The ghost shrugged, sipping his drink. His library was a mess of garland and ornaments, and part of him was a bit nervous to have so much ectoplasm around his books, especially those from the human plane, but it had to be done to ensure the party was a hit.<br/><br/>“It’s the least I can do, I suppose, after the little spat four years ago. You wouldn’t believe the animosity that followed. It’s nice to be included again.” The air of nonchalance left him for a moment, his bright green eyes shining deviously as they looked into Danny’s own. “Speaking of being included, have you seen Plasmius yet?”<br/><br/>Danny fought valiantly against the blush threatening to burn at his cheeks. He didn’t know why the innocent question made him freeze up, but Ghostwriter made it sound like he somehow knew about how touchy his and Vlad’s last feeding session had gotten, but there was no way. Unless Vlad had gotten here first and told him for some reason...<br/><br/>Dani’s response pulled him out of that thought before he could start freaking out. Her lip curled in exaggerated disgust at the sheer mention of Vlad’s name. “Ew, no way. Plasmius never comes to these things.” She didn’t like the mischievous way Ghostwriter was looking at Danny, and she also didn’t like that Ghostwriter felt chummy enough to call her by her first name, much less the entirety of it. She’d only met him twice before this, both times with Vlad back when she was under the other halfa’s ‘care’. She didn’t trust him, truce or not. She’d never heard him talk evil plans with Vlad, just nerdy ghost stuff she usually eavesdropped on, but he still made her feel extremely wary.<br/><br/>It also bugged her that he didn’t pay her much mind while he was talking to her original. She could tell he heard her comment but his eyes never left Danny’s face, taking in every microexpression like he was looking for some sort of tell. Danny just swallowed, nodding along with what Dani said, making her wonder what the older boy was hiding because <em> man </em> he had a crappy poker face.<br/><br/>Ghostwriter grinned, “Just wondering,” While his tone was innocent, the smug, entertained look on his face was anything but. “He said he’d be here, so I would have thought he’d come with you.”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t know why but nervous laughter bubbled out of him. “HAHA yeah, nope. No idea why you thought that. Besides, how would I know what Plasmius is up to?” If he were in human form he’s sure he’d be sweating. He recalled Vlad saying he knew Ghostwriter, but were they close enough for Vlad to disclose something like that? No way. Vlad was too private for that.<br/><br/>Ghostwriter, on the other hand… Danny imagined the author would be a terrible gossip for some reason. Did he and Vlad get together and dish on other ghosts? On Danny? Maybe not certain things, but Ghostwriter’s tone was just so knowing...<br/><br/>Did Vlad tell Ghostwriter about the kiss he stole?!<br/><br/>Ghostwriter had evidently had enough of his squirming, relenting in his efforts to make Danny uncomfortable. It was amusing, but he didn’t want the poor halfa to combust, and he looked like he was pretty close to reaching that point. There was clearly more than just a feeding situation going on here, but Danny didn’t have to know Ghostwriter knew about that.<br/><br/>“I just figured you halfas would stick together, that’s all. Do send him my way if you see him. See you later, <em> Danny Phantom. </em> Danielle.” And he left the two young halfas to stare at his back in utter confusion, though for different reasons.<br/><br/>Dani nudged the older half-ghost. “What was that all about?” Danny was acting weird, and it started when Ghostwriter had mentioned her evil creator-slash-father. Danny actually flinched as he looked down at her.<br/><br/>“Nothing.” She narrowed her eyes and that was all it took for him to slump, dragging her off to the corner of the room. “Okay, something…” He finished.<br/><br/>She arched a brow in a way that reminded him of Vlad and he pursed his lips as he thought of where to even begin. What all could he tell her? He couldn’t just out Vlad as a ghost-vamp. He got the impression that feeders weren’t exactly everyone’s favorite, at least that’s how Skulker had made it seem when Clockwork told them. Maybe he’d just talk to her about himself?<br/><br/>“So, I have to tell you a few things- some stuff going on with me lately, and maybe even you one day.” Dani just stared, waiting for him to go on. She didn’t like his nervous tone at all and she was starting to feel concerned.<br/><br/>He lifted his head and met her eyes. “Dani, do you know what a feeder ghost is?”<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Gathering</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What do you do with a drunken ghostpunk?</p><p>Party time, plotful crack between my favorite ghost-thots. </p><p>P.S. Da bois is sexually frustrated</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Haven't got the next chapter written(It is but a mess of notes at this point, so it may be awhile) but I really wanted to post this one already. Hope ya like it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>“Dani, do you know what a feeder ghost is?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The younger halfa blinked before letting her eyes dart around them to see if anyone was close by enough to overhear. “Uh, yeah bro. I am one.” She tilted her head curiously at the astonished expression on her cousin’s face. It wasn’t something she advertised, no feeder really did, so she wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t aware, but his bewilderment was off-putting.<br/><br/>“Um, Vlad is too. You knew that at least, right?” She sighed in relief when Danny nodded, albeit in a shocked, jerky fashion. “How did you think I’ve been sustaining my form for so long? It was trial and error, but I’ve been feeding since the beginning. Vlad’s little test-tube baby.”<br/><br/>Danny leaned forward, intrigued. “So it didn’t develop over time or anything? You’ve always fed?”<br/><br/>She nodded, feeling a little weird talking about it so openly. “Only on certain kinds of ghosts, though. The wrong ectoplasm can destabilize me, so I have to be really selective.”<br/><br/>“Not as selective as some…” He muttered under his breath, drawing an odd look from Dani. “How did you find out what worked. Or, well, didn’t work?”<br/><br/>“Experimenting.” She answered simply, albeit grimly. “I was Vlad’s guinea pig for a long while before he sent me out to find you. The mid-morph DNA was a way to sustain me without being a feeder, but, well, we know how that worked out.” She shrugged, having gotten over those days a few years ago. </p><p>Well, she was over most of it.</p><p>Dani didn’t mind being a feeder, she was just happy to be alive. So she had to go into the ghost zone and slurp some ectoplasm every now and then. It beats a melty death, right? “Vlad taught me a lot, but mostly how to figure stuff out on my own. Independence, I guess.”<br/><br/>Danny thought he could see bitterness flash in her eyes, then sadness. She blinked it away, face going blank and relaxed, likely just another thing she learned from Vlad. Danny frowned after a moment. How to say this... “Your core didn’t… latch on to Vlad’s?”<br/><br/>“No?” She thought it was an odd question with an equally odd phrasing. Was he asking if she had a preference? “It latched on to a <em>type</em> of core, the first ghost I tore into had been an electric core. Vlad once said it might have something to do with the fact that I was born of electricity to some extent, but he also said he was just speculating. From what I’ve learned in the Ghost Zone, it’s just what suits your core best. After we finally tried ectoplasm from an electric core, there was no going back.” She took in the contemplative look on her cousin’s face and felt worry well in her gut.<br/><br/>“Hey, I’m not gonna like, bite you and drink your ghost-blood or anything, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” She knew there was a pretty big stigma around feeders, but she hadn’t thought Danny would feel that way being half human.<br/><br/>Danny looked up and started laughing, “Oh, ha, no. I wasn’t worried about that. Actually, I’m relieved. I thought I was about to drop a bomb on you with all this feeder stuff. One sure dropped on me.” He scratched the back of his head. “Seems like I’m the only one this is news to.”<br/><br/>She quirked her head to the side, “You’re… a feeder? You weren’t before, were you? I’m <em>sure</em> Vlad would have said something, he knew like everything about you. Then again, he was pretty secretive about his own status, so maybe he didn’t wanna blab yours…” Huh. so there <em>were</em> lines that her dad wouldn’t cross.<br/><br/>“No, no, no. This is all new to me.” He felt a little embarrassed now that he knew he was so late to the game. He’d never even heard of feeders before all this. “Happened sometime after I turned eighteen, little things at first, then painful, not-as-subtle things.” He flashed her a fangy grin as if in example. “Me and Vlad think it’s ‘Ghost Puberty’.”<br/><br/>Dani’s eyebrows shot up. “You and Vlad?” Since when did her original talk to Vlad? She was even more confused by the blaze of green across his cheeks.<br/><br/>“Uh, yeah. He’s kinda helping me… figure this out. Teaching me things, like a mentor.” He was certain his immensely unsure face was putting her at ease.<br/><br/>“A mentor? Yeah, dude, that’s been his plan the whole time. Get you under him, turn you evil.” She couldn’t believe Danny would walk into such a blatant trap. What the hell. “Bruh, there are so many ghosts who can mentor you. Why the worst one around? Do you <em>like</em> getting tortured?”<br/><br/>Danny snapped out of the ensuing fantasies of being ‘under Vlad’ and felt his blood start boiling a bit. He sort of expected this reaction from Dani but it was still annoying, especially after hearing it from his friends and sister. She had <em>fewer</em> issues with Vlad than when she was younger, but she still had plenty of issues with him. They were valid qualms, and he didn’t blame her for the attitude but he’d definitely had his fill of it from everyone else.<br/><br/>“<em>Bruh,</em>” He echoed irritably, “It’s kinda too late to consider other options here. He’s the only other halfa besides you, and our cores are like, tied together, and we can’t take any other ectoplasm! We’re kinda stuck!”<br/><br/>Dani massaged her temple, wide disbelieving eyes fixed on the ground as she tried not to snap. “Did <em>he</em> tell you that? I’m sure it would be convenient for him if he were the only one you could feed from.” His face fell for some reason she couldn’t decipher.<br/><br/>“Well it’s <em>not</em> convenient for him.” Danny mumbled. Despite Vlad’s new enthusiasm back in his room it was still probably much easier to feed the way he used to, without having someone else’s personality overshadow yours at seemingly random and unpredictable times.<br/><br/>Dani could tell she was missing something about this situation. Danny seemed almost hurt, maybe confused. She was going to ask him to explain, because there was definitely more to this, Danny was too readable, but a shiny cup full of ‘spirits’ was shoved between them.<br/><br/>“Merry Xmas, nerds. Fuckin' cheers me!” Ember sounded intoxicated already, shoving the cup into Dani’s chest(making her awkwardly shield her breasts) and running off, promising to return with a cup for the older Phantom. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence before Dani drank from her cup, eventually releasing a heavy sigh and putting a hand on his shoulder.<br/><br/>“Look, if it’s not a trick and you can’t get away, if you’re really stuck, just be careful. You know how he is. And... You’ll learn a lot under Vlad, I just hope it’s worth it.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting it rest there as they leaned against the wall side by side and watched the party.<br/><br/>“I’m sure it will be, he knows so much...” Danny mumbled distractedly. He was glad Dani backed off a bit, likely knowing that nothing she said would really change his mind once it was made up. He didn’t really feel like having any more heavy conversation tonight.<br/><br/>Dani shrugged, “Ah, don’t be too impressed. He’s just well-read. Huge ass library. Fair share of it’s so dusty that he kinda <em>had </em>to teach me Latin to understand most of his old ghost books, so you have lots of information if you have access to his stuff.”<br/><br/>Danny groaned, “Ugh, I figured I’d just be learning cool new powers. Should have known I’d have to study…” His clone laughed.<br/><br/>“Duh, it’s Vlad. He’s a nerd, and he’ll want you just as smart as you are strong.” That sounded about right to Danny. Vlad was strong, but there were other ghosts in the ‘Zone that were even stronger, he'd faced some of them himself. No, Vlad’s cunning was the thing that made him so very dangerous. “For real though, play the game right and you could come out of this mad powerful. Just don’t turn into a diabolical dickhead like dear father.”<br/><br/>Ember appeared again before Danny could respond, a scary grin on her face. “Oooh, am I right on time for daddy issues? Here, you’ll need this.” She shoved the chalice into Danny’s hand and he looked at the ectoplasmic beverage with mild disdain.<br/><br/>“I don’t know if-”<br/><br/>“Aw, c’mon Babypop! Do you know how far Johnny and Kitty biked across the ‘Zone to get this stuff? I won’t tell your dad, swear. What Plasmius doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She smirked at his angry sputtering, knowing she’d pressed all the right buttons. Phantom was funny when he was mad.<br/><br/>“He’s not my Dad!” Well, God dad, but that didn’t mean he could tell Danny what to do or anything. Danny spitefully threw back a large gulp, expecting the taste of fire like regular alcohol, only to be pleasantly surprised by a sweet tang accompanied by residual tingles down his throat. “Oh. Oh, that’s good…”<br/><br/>Ember cheered, “Hell yeah it is! C’mon, half-dorks, we’re playing drinking games!” And she dragged the two halfa over to the lounge area in the main room with Kitty and Johnny, Shadow resting at their feet. The trio was passing a large goblet between them, sharing the spirits in a way that Danny would have thought was cute if they weren’t always fucking around in his town. Ember waved over Skulker and Technus, who’d been in some sort of debate before turning and looking a bit too happy to see Danny.<br/><br/>Skulker smirked dangerously, “Hello, Whel-”<br/><br/>“GHOST CHILD! How do you like your new thermos?! <em>Fancy</em>, yes?!” Skulker glared at the tech ghost, miffed at having his dramatic greeting interrupted.<br/><br/>Danny tried not to snicker at him, “Uh, it’s great! Can’t wait to suck you up into it.” And he didn’t know if it was just truce humor or if they still didn’t take him that seriously, but they all laughed in a way that left him taking another gulp out of his goblet.<br/><br/>They played a few games Danny wasn’t familiar with, so naturally he was drinking quite a bit since he kept losing. He tried to set his drink to the side at one point when he felt himself getting woozy, saying he was underaged and shouldn’t ‘get too turnt’. Ember reassured him that he was old enough in this part of the Ghost Zone, even Dani could drink. He cast a questioning glance to his cousin who simply lifted her cup and nodded sagely.<br/><br/>He shrugged, assuming that with the architecture that this must be the ancient Greece part of the ‘Zone or something, and he was pretty sure the drinking age in Europe was eighteen. It’s the only thing his tipsy mind could supply to make him more comfortable so he went with it. Ember and Dani were quick to agree to his speculations, his clone easily dispelling his concerns despite being only sixteen herself. He shrugged. Not like he could really boss her around, and he was caring less and less the longer their games went on.<br/><br/>He zoned in and out in between turns, wondering if he was more affected by the spirits because of his active, well-fed ghost core, or if it was just because he was a lightweight noob. He was feeling like a noob. He blinked back into the conversation, having once again lost himself in his head.<br/><br/>“...And honestly I don’t have any memories of my life, but I know I was a bad bitch, and I’m certainly a bad bitch in the afterlife, so the fact that you wouldn’t marry or fuck me is a disgrace.”<br/><br/>Kitty screeched her laughter, “It was between you, Johnny and Shadow! I can’t just kill one of my boys!” Ember shrieked back.<br/><br/>“So you kill me?! You bitch? Unbelievable.” She crossed her arms and jerked her face away from them, “Whatever. Technus, you’re next!” They all turned to the ghost in question to find him passed out at Skulker’s feet, sunglasses askew. Ember sucked her teeth, “Lame. Baby D, your turn! Fuck, marry, re-kill…” She brought a finger to her chin in thought before grinning mischievously, rubbing her hands together. “Me, Danny Phantom and… Vlad Plasmius.” Dani audibly gagged.<br/><br/>“Aw, dude, you can’t make two of the three answers my dad and my cousin!” And Danny was sure it was the alcohol that made it so easy for her to actually call Vlad her father because she didn’t even flinch.<br/><br/>Ember was having the time of her afterlife as the name dealer, cackling at everyone’s disgust. “Rules are rules, puffin! Now, fuck, marry, re-kill!” Dani groaned, rolling her eyes.<br/><br/>“Well… I’m definitely not fucking Danny or Vlad.” She and Danny both wrinkled their nose, “So I’d fuck Ember, marry Danny, and definitely kill padre. Sorry, we’re married now Danny.”<br/><br/>Danny cheered, “Finally, someone who doesn’t kill me! Those last few rounds were just you guys being mean…”<br/><br/>Ember smirked, “No hard feelings Babypop, you’re totally fuckable.” Danny blushed green, batting his eyelashes flirtatiously in a way that got an adoring coo from both Ember and Kitty, much to Johnny and Shadow’s chagrin.<br/><br/>He sent Ember a kissy face, “Oh stop it, you.” The girls laughed.<br/><br/>This was fun. He was feeling remarkably light and bubbly and everything was funny. He got lost in his own private thoughts every now and then, but not so much so that he was a downer, just distracted. At the moment he was wondering if Vlad had ever drank the spirits before. Probably. The man drank every other kind of alcohol, why not ghost alcohol?<br/><br/>Ember leaned forward, eyes leering across the room. “Oh, speaking of fuckable…” He followed her gaze to the entrance where he spotted the very halfa on his mind walking in like he owned the place. Ember whistled, “What a daddy~!” Kitty cocked a brow with a hungry smirk, both girls openly eyeing the eldest halfa in a way that made Danny want to turn around too.<br/><br/>Johnny scoffed, “You guys <em>would </em>like that weirdo. Guy’s still kickin’ and he looks deader than me. Freaks me out.” He gave a half disgusted, half creeped out shudder.<br/><br/>Ember licked her lips. “Wish he’d <em>freak</em> me out.”<br/><br/>Danny couldn’t help but relate. Still, he wasn’t ready when Ember threw a ‘Hey <em>Zaddy</em>!’ over her shoulder and abruptly turned away. Danny immediately sank down until he couldn’t be seen over the back of the couch in case Vlad looked over, only to find that his cousin had done the same. She was glaring up at Ember, whisper-yelling. “Bitch, ew, that is my literal kind-of father!”<br/><br/>Danny giggled quietly to himself as a thought pervaded his drunken haze, wiggling his eyebrows at Ember. “Heheh, Vladdy is zaddy…” but <em>everyone</em> in their circle heard and became a chorus of poorly contained chuckles. His cousin shot him a truly, utterly confused look.<br/><br/>Everyone else seemed to find her mortification funny and Dani wasn’t having it, “Ugh, can we <em>please</em> get back to the game?” Ember sat forward excitedly, as if suddenly remembering that they were in fact in the middle of something.<br/><br/>“Yes! Alright, Johnny!” She rubbed her hands together once more, “Let’s see… Fuck, marry, re-kill… Kitty, Plasmius and Phantom.”<br/><br/>Johnny snorted, “That’s easy. Fuck Kitty, marry Kitty, kill Plasmius and Phantom. Sayonara, halfas.” He replied with a shrug, wearing a cool smirk as Kitty kissed his cheek. Ember rolled her eyes. That could have been way more interesting. How anticlimactic.<br/><br/>“Wack. You’re so predictable.” She set her sights on Danny, trying to formulate an impossible combination. “Babypop, Babypop…” She nearly sneered, making Danny feel sweaty despite being in ghost form. He didn’t like that look on her face, but he couldn’t really think straight enough to worry as much as he thought he should.<br/><br/>So this is why people get drunk.<br/><br/>“Bring it on, Ember!” He was feeling cocky. This game didn’t have a drinking penalty, but he was definitely still drunk from the ones that did.<br/><br/>“Alright- Fuck, marry, re-kill… Skulker, Technus, and Plasmius.” They laughed, expecting the same degree of horror that his clone had expressed, but Danny had yet again lost himself in his fantasies for a moment, opening his mouth to answer before he could think very hard about his audience.<br/><br/>“Fuck Vlad, marry Vlad, and… probably re-kill Vlad.” Danny slurred a little too quickly.<br/><br/>It took him a second to realize he’d said that out loud and he sat in their stunned silence for a good few moments before his own words caught up with him. His mouth opened and closed rapidly as he tried to think of something to say to defend his decision but nothing came out. Ember’s jaw dropped.<br/><br/>“Oh, <em>shit</em>, I get it...” She turned to Dani, who was equally disturbed as the other ghosts, if not more so. “So he’s <em>your</em> dad,” Then she turned a devilish grin back to Danny who looked ready to disappear. “And he’s your <em>Daddy~</em>.”<br/><br/>Dani was going to pipe up and defend her cousin but stopped short upon seeing his mortified expression. No disgust, no revulsion, just utter embarrassment with glowing green cheeks and shifty eyes. Her brows drew together as she thought about his reaction when Ghostwriter mentioned Vlad, or them ‘sticking together’, and then she thought about the fact that they were apparently routinely feeding from each other. The image of their faces in each other’s necks appeared in her head and her face went white, putting it all together until it painted this ungodly, horrifying picture in her mind’s eye.<br/><br/>“Dude! Are you fucking my da- I mean, Vlad?!” Danny slapped a hand over her mouth, bringing her back down behind the couch and peering over. A few ghosts nearby were sending their group weird looks, but he fortunately didn’t see Vlad anywhere nearby. Suspicious, but all in all a very good thing.<br/><br/>“No! No, no, no, we aren’t <em>fucking!</em>” He bit out, ignoring the thoroughly amused laughter of the other ghosts who were watching the ‘halfa siblings’ like they’d bought tickets to this very shitshow.<br/><br/>Dani’s jaw dropped at the put-out look he had on his face. “But you want to?!” That got the others to pause, leaning in to hear his answer.<br/><br/>Danny’s face glowed, “Shhh! N-no!”<br/><br/>“He also wants to marry him.” Johnny piped up, sitting back and grinning at the chaos.<br/><br/>Dani was trying to wrap her head around it but she just couldn’t. How drunk was Danny? She prayed he was just trying to be funny or something...<br/><br/>“Let’s be adults, Baby D, it’s not a big deal.” Danny breathed a sigh of relief as Ember appeared to come to his aid, but it didn’t last. “A couple ghosts we know were actually betting on whether or not Plasmius would even wait till he was grown.” She gave him a once over. “You don’t really look like a kid anymore, kid, so I guess that ship sailed. So are y’all really fucking or not? If so Spectra owes me big.”<br/><br/>Danny groaned, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his face in his hands so he didn’t have to see their faces, namely his clone’s. At this point his head was swimming and he started to regret drinking so much. Skulker slapped a large metal hand onto Danny’s back, nearly knocking him over.<br/><br/>“I was actually betting Plasmius would kill you if that makes you feel any better.” Danny slowly lifted his face out of his hands to send him an unappreciative glare.<br/><br/>“Yeah, dude, loads better.” He shared the look with the rest of the group. “Do you guys gamble on my life often?”<br/><br/>It hadn’t been a serious question but Ember glanced at Skulker and the others and they all seemed to shrug. “I mean, yeah. Ghosts bet on fate and prophecies all the time. Not a lot to do out here in the Ghost Zone, why do you think we come bother you? It’s fun.”<br/><br/>Fun?<br/><br/>Danny felt a headache coming on, “Well, I’m not <em>actually</em> marrying or fucking Vlad, so-”<br/><br/>“But you wanna.” Ember smirked, rubbing her fingers and thumb together in the universal gesture of money while her other hand shot him with a finger gun.<br/><br/>Kitty smirked at the scene, leaning over to ‘whisper’ in Ember’s ear. “Can you blame the poor boy?” Danny whined in the back of his throat. The ghosts were sending him mixed looks of dubiety and amused interest and Danny couldn’t take it anymore.<br/><br/>“Shut up, i-it was- We were playing a game!” Everyone but Dani laughed, even as he closed his eyes and stood. “I’m gonna go get some air.” And he stormed off, leaving them to either laugh at his excuse or call after him.<br/><br/>“Aw, we’re just messin’ with you, Babypop! don’t be like that!”<br/><br/>He ignored them, meandering through the hall and ignoring the strange glances he got from the other ghosts. It was hard to figure out where he was in the library once he started wandering between the stacks, glancing at the spines of the more interesting looking books on the shelves on either side. He felt like he kept seeing the same ones, but he knew that was probably just the BOOze at this point, and the books all kind of looked the same when he was occasionally seeing double. After a while of walking aimlessly he remembered Plasmius was missing and began to wonder where he’d snuck off to. Probably with Ghostwriter…<br/><br/>That was debunked when he turned the corner and saw the host talking with a group of guests, none being Plasmius. He continued on, his route taking him back into the main hall, where he finally found his target. He watched Vlad lean his shoulder against a wall casually, conversing with a looming shadow ghost with four red eyes and gray-black skin, inky black hair moving around its form like smoke. He had no interest in meeting <em>that</em> guy, so he just ogled Vlad while he waited for the ghost to go away.</p><p>Vlad’s Plasmius outfit seemed so tight and Danny really wanted to look at his ass but his damn cape got in the way of most of his form from their current angle. Ugh. Finally the creepy ghost slithered away and Danny could stealthily sneak over, keeping behind Plasmius. He wasn’t sure what motivated him, but he lifted the man’s cape and wrapped it over his head like a blanket before mumbling a small “Hey.”<br/><br/>Ugh, could he think of nothing better than <em> ‘hey’ </em> ?<br/><br/>Vlad lifted his arm and looked down slightly, unperturbed since he knew of only one person in the entire world who would have the sheer audacity, “Hello there, Little Badger.” He still scanned the room to see who was watching them. It was a truce party, but one could still learn valuable information about an enemy in these kinds of environments and use it against them later. He knew he certainly would, so he wasn’t about to put it past anyone else.<br/><br/>It was only Skulker and Ember Mclain looking their way, so he eventually relaxed, not particularly threatened by the two. Coming after him wasn’t in Ember’s game, and Skulker was a tin-head, but not an outright idiot. Neither of them were stupid enough to try him. It was safe enough to interact with Danny right now, and if he could keep him distracted then his plans for the evening would go off without a hitch.<br/><br/>“Why the long face?” He questioned. Danny sighed dramatically, eyeing a jewel encrusted goblet in his hand and stealing it for a large gulp, not wanting to look across the room where he knew the other ghosts were watching him interact with Plasmius.<br/><br/>Vlad narrowed his eyes at the grumpy, almost sleepy expression, noting the overly lax posture and the slight swaying. “Are you drunk, my boy?” Danny grinned before glaring up at him.<br/><br/>“Yeah, ghost drunk! And you’re not my dad so don’t tell me what to do!” Vlad fought a smile, slightly confused by the answer but choosing to go along with it.<br/><br/>“I just never realized you were one for breaking the rules, little do-gooder. What would Walker say if he were here right now, Ghost Zone rest his soul?” He said it with that fake intonation Danny hated, as if Vlad wasn’t the one who ended Walker in the first place.<br/><br/>“I’m not breaking any rules!” Danny sneered with a dramatized roll of his eyes.<br/><br/>Vlad held back a snort, “Daniel, you’re underaged.” Did the boy forget? He supposed there weren’t exactly laws against that sort of thing in the afterlife, but it was still fun to tease Danny, see what ridiculous thing he’d say.<br/><br/>And it was ridiculous indeed. “Y-yeah, but I’m eighteen. Besides, it’s being held- This is-... We’re in Ghost Europe.” And Vlad tilted his head at both the slurring and the explanation itself.<br/><br/>“What?” It was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever heard and he couldn’t help his snickering at the boy’s expense, darkening Danny’s expression further in response. “Daniel, who told you that?”<br/><br/>Danny shot his head back to glare hate-fire at a group of ghosts absolutely roaring in laughter, Ember being the main target of his burning gaze. Vlad sighed, raising his arm and dropping a hand on Danny’s head before shaking his own in exasperation. The boy was just so gullible.<br/><br/>Danny pouted, eyes rising up in an effort to stare at the hand on his head. “Whatever. So where are you really?” Vlad frowned, looking down at Danny curiously. Could he tell?<br/><br/>“What do you mean, Daniel?”<br/><br/>Danny sent him a knowing look. “You’re a duplicate. Where’s the real Plasmius?” Vlad raised an impressed brow. Maybe the boy wasn’t as gullible as he thought. Though it was probably just the connection of their cores that helped Danny differentiate him from the original, just another strange part of their exchange he had yet to fully wrap his head around.<br/><br/>Danny confirmed his silent suspicion with a shrug, “You don’t feel like an original. Couldn’t tell at first, but after a minute standing so close it’s kinda obvious.” Danny threw back the goblet, guzzling the contents inside.<br/><br/>“Perhaps you should slow down with that.” Vlad himself had only been drinking a bit. He was trying to be cautious since he wasn’t too familiar with the substance or how exactly it worked in accordance to his ghost core and being half human. He was well fed and fully charged right now, and introducing too much of another ectoplasmic substance seemed like an ecto-chemistry experiment waiting to go wrong.<br/><br/>Danny didn’t seem to care about such silly concerns, “Ugh, you duplicates are <em> boring</em>. Where’s the real Plasmius?” he shoved the now empty goblet into Vlad’s chest, pausing to pat a pectoral muscle appreciatively. Vlad blinked at Danny’s drunken smirk, watching a bit dumbfounded as the boy walked off in another direction, likely seeking his original. He knew it was better to stay here so that other ghosts would see him and he’d have an alibi, but if Daniel was going to find him and ruin his plan anyway then there was no point in one. He phased out of existence in a slew of smoke, returning to his original to pass off the warning of an oncoming intruder.<br/><br/>Vlad growled in frustration upon reclaiming his duplicate, the copy’s memories and interaction with Danny joining his own. He came here for <em> one </em> thing, and right when he finally finds where Ghostwriter was keeping Pariah Dark’s Opus is when Danny decides to come looking for him. Of course.<br/><br/>He quickly lifted the book from its floating stand, shoving it behind his back to hide it invisibly beneath his cape before Danny could find him. It would only be a matter of time, what with their strange ability to ‘feel’ each other through their connection. He was about to teleport out of the room before Danny could track him down when something else caught his eye.<br/><br/>Above the display that had once held Pariah’s book was a large, flowing tapestry hung up on the back wall. It was mostly black with dark red trim and details, along with vaguely familiar glowing green writings around a large crown. The script reminded him of the green ink from the book Andrew had read to him, but he couldn’t be sure at first glance. The lettering was different from that, but he’d <em> definitely </em> seen it before, somewhere. Whatever it was, it called out to him, blurring his peripheral vision when he tried to look away. He found himself floating to the top to release it from where it hung on the wall before he even realized what he was doing.<br/><br/>“Hey!” A sharp call startled him and he glared at the door when he recognized the voice.<br/><br/>“Hush, Little Badger, I’m busy.” He should have known that wouldn’t work.<br/><br/>Danny flew up to meet him next to the tapestry, brows pushed together as he bobbed drunkenly in the air. “What the fuck? You STEALIN’?” Vlad dropped the free end of the tapestry and slapped a hand over the boy’s mouth. Danny grabbed his wrist and pushed the hand away.<br/><br/>“You got all my good boy vibes and you’re still doin’ bad stuff all the time! You’re ruining them! My <em> good boy vibes</em>!” Vlad smothered him again, this time keeping his grip firm over Danny’s far-too-loud mouth.<br/><br/>“Shut the fuck <em>up</em>, Daniel, I’m in the middle of something!” He tried instead, then he felt Danny’s teeth and tongue against his hand, and despite the glove it still felt gross. It was no accident either, judging by the shitty grin he could see forming around his hand. With a disgusted groan he squeezed and threw the boy down to the ground by his face before turning and finishing up with the tapestry. He was rolling it up when Danny tackled him out of the air and through the very wall he’d just stripped bare, pushing them into another room entirely. They fell to the ground with a grunt, Vlad’s face pressed against the floor with Danny sitting on his lower back.<br/><br/>“You’re under arrest, Plasmius!” He felt his arm being pushed up behind him and Danny’s voice was tight, like he was holding back his laughter. “Bad Plasmius!”<br/><br/>Vlad flipped over onto his back and zapped him with the hand that wasn’t still gripping the tapestry. “Daniel are you <em> completely </em> wasted?” Danny just groaned and rolled over, the small blast having hit him square in the chest.<br/><br/>“Owie…” That answered Vlad’s question well enough. He rolled his eyes and disappeared tapestry under his cape as he’d done with the tome, walking over to grab Danny by his suit and drag him towards the door of whatever room they were in, tempted as he was to just leave Daniel there on the floor for trying to foil him yet again.<br/><br/>They didn’t even get halfway down the hall before Ghostwriter appeared with fire in his eyes.<br/><br/>Plasmius put on his best, most charming smile, as if he hadn’t just robbed the other ghost. “Andrew, lovely party…” Ghostwriter scoffed.<br/><br/>“Oh shut up. What the hell are you idiots doing <em> fighting </em> during the <em> truce</em>?!” Vlad grimaced, lifting Danny into the air by the neck of his suit and pointing to him with his free hand. Ghostwriter shook his head angrily. “I don’t care who started it! This is my first year back in good graces and I won’t have you ruin it, Plasmius.” Well at least the ghost didn’t suspect his thievery. Their heads whipped over to Danny who was still dangling when they heard him start to snicker.<br/><br/>“I got you in trouble…” He sing-songed, looking about as smug as one could while being held aloft like a trash bag.<br/><br/>Ghostwriter frowned, “Is he drunk?” he watched the half ghost try to spin himself in Vlad’s grasp, only to be dropped when his twisted collar squeezed Vlad’s hand. He groaned, turning to the side so he could reach back and rub his sore behind.<br/><br/>“I’d say so.” Vlad replied, scooping Danny up again and throwing him over his shoulder. Danny yelped at first, then slapped at Vlad’s back childishly. “Unhand me dastardly fiend!” Then he thrashed fruitlessly against Vlad, the older ghosts watching with supremely unimpressed faces.<br/><br/>The older halfa tightened his grip, ignoring the struggles and occasional physical assault as Danny continued to fight in his hold. “Found him fumbling around back here. Poor fool must have had too much and gotten lost.” Danny growled as Vlad’s free hand patted his thigh as Danny had done to his chest earlier. Vlad heard rather than saw the ectoblast Danny was forming behind him.<br/><br/>“I won’t hesitate, bitch!” Vlad sighed his exasperation and let his core spike abruptly, sending a vicious surge of energy through Danny. Nothing like what he’d done to the boy before, but just enough for him to get the message that it was time to be still and shut up. Ghostwriter groaned, knowing he shouldn’t have told Plasmius to come.<br/><br/>He looked around to make sure no one had seen the subtle attack before leveling his glare on Plasmius once again. “Just get <em> out </em> of here. Take him with you.” He added as an afterthought. Phantom was typically peaceful, but the last thing he needed was the boy getting too reckless in his roughhousing with the rowdy mood Vlad had probably gotten him in, not to mention the influence of the spirits that he was evidently not handling very well. He understood that some found such behavior fun and entertaining(while he himself preferred a classic haunting), but there was no place for any violence at <em> this </em> party.<br/><br/>Vlad didn’t argue, not that Ghostwriter expected him to. He’d seemed uninterested upon invitation and likely wanted to go home anyway. The halfa didn’t appear to be as laid back and carefree as the other ghosts celebrating, so it might make his guests nervous to see the notoriously scheming halfa just <em> watching </em> them have a good time. Plasmius promptly conjured a portal, stepping through without so much as a goodbye. He was a bit miffed by the rude departure but not surprised, more relieved that half ghosts wouldn’t ruin the truce with their apparently irresistible need to one-up each other. He carried on through the hall to check up on his other guests, glad to be rid of the party crashers.<br/><br/>Vlad stepped through to the other side of his self-made portal, this one ending in his bedroom for convenience sake. He breathed a victorious sigh at having not been caught with any of his stolen items as he materialized them and tossed them onto the dresser at his side. Ghostwriter would have definitely had the grounds to sic the other ghosts on him since it was Christmas, so he was quite relieved when Ghostwriter wanted him gone.<br/><br/>Danny still hung over his shoulder, limp arms finally pressing against the small of Vlad’s back to lift up, then giving up again and deciding to run his hands over the muscles beneath them. He was mumbling the lyrics to a rather lewd song, one that Vlad tuned out as he closed the teleportation portal and carried the boy further into the room with half a mind to dump him in the shower and turn it on. </p><p>Danny half hummed, half giggled. “You’re so strong…” His hands were creeping lower and lower. Vlad tensed, releasing Danny’s legs and letting him land on the floor with a grunt. “Jerk…”<br/><br/>He was still annoyed that Danny had almost gotten him caught. Ghostwriter was bound to come after him later when he discovered his book missing, but so long as that happened <em> after </em> the truce he’d be fine. Vlad looked down at Danny’s sloppy form, stuck between a glare and an amused smirk. “I can’t believe you drank that much you little idiot.” He eyed the boy now lazily rolling over to look up at him, a dizzying grin on his face.<br/><br/>“So? Feels good.” Vlad nodded knowingly.<br/><br/>“I’m sure it does. For now. You’re going to have one hell of a ghostly hangover, my dear boy.”<br/><br/>Danny just hummed again, reaching over to grab Vlad’s ankle and stare up at Vlad. “I like when you call me that. And the other things…” Vlad blinked, kneeling down.<br/><br/>“Little Badger?” He questioned carefully. He’d always been under the impression that Danny hated that little term of endearment. The way Danny squeezed his ankle and grinned said otherwise. The hand reached up, wordlessly requesting Vlad’s help. To both of their surprise Vlad obliged, sitting him up against the foot of Vlad’s bed. Danny’s hand gripped Vlad’s cape again, playing with the material.<br/><br/>“I always thought your cape was majestic as fuck.” He admitted. Vlad chuckled, finding this situation all too silly.<br/><br/>“Full of confessions tonight, are we Daniel?”<br/><br/>Danny’s next hum was a bit more lascivious than the others, pulling Vlad down a bit with the hold he still had on his cape. “When you say my name like that…” Vlad swallowed as those dazed green eyes zeroed in on his lips. Vlad’s fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to touch again, perhaps touch more.<br/><br/>No, they were still under the influence of the exchange, never mind how much intoxicant they’d respectively drank. He reminded himself he needed to <em> clear his head </em> , and so did Daniel. “I think it’s a good idea to change back now, D-” He stopped himself from saying the boy’s name for fear of having to hear more of that beautifully unholy sound Danny had made. “Change back and you’ll feel better.”<br/><br/>Danny pouted, turning his face away and changing into Fenton. Vlad expected the return to sobriety to be pretty immediate, it was when he got too drunk in human form and had to turn into Plasmius. Danny’s blue eyes were still unfocused, glaring petulantly up at him, or at least in his general direction, the same lopsided smile on his face. “Still feel the same. Maybe if you pick me up again…” Vlad ignored the flirtatious tone, letting his own dark rings of energy wash over him, returning him to his human form.<br/><br/>Sure enough, he could still feel the spirits.<br/><br/>He hadn’t drank very much, but he drank enough to get a decent buzz, like the stuff had gone straight to his core, which is probably exactly what happened. But he was human now, so shouldn’t be feeling the effects. Then again, it’s not like his ghost core truly went anywhere when he was in human form. It was how he could still float and walk through walls as Vlad Masters.<br/><br/>And apparently this wasn’t a substance his core could burn up, being of ghostly origins as it was.<br/><br/>Tremendous.<br/><br/>He was brought out of his displeased musings when a hand touched his face. Vlad looked up to see Danny gazing thoughtfully at him, almost sadly. Vlad thought he might get whiplash from the sudden change in demeanor, frozen as fingers traced his jaw, Danny’s thumb stroking his cheek. Vlad’s brows scrunched up in confusion, only making the despairing look in Danny’s eyes intensify and Vlad feared Danny might start crying again. He laid his hand over Danny’s, pulling it away from his face and trying not to feel guilty as Danny’s frown deepened.<br/><br/>Danny held onto Vlad’s hand and Vlad let him, wondering when Danny went from being a silly drunk to a sad one. “You should stay here. Don’t go.” Danny’s words were soft and pleading and they made Vlad’s chest hurt. He wondered where that came from, both Danny’s words and the resulting emotional response. Probably the booze.<br/><br/>“This is my home, Little Badger.” He explained simply. “I’m not going anywhere.” Danny shook his head.<br/><br/>“No, not that.” Vlad tilted his head forward, a bit lost again. Danny sighed, “This is a good timeline. You should stay here and we can train and do stuff in the Ghost Zone together…” Vlad’s mouth fell open in understanding.<br/><br/>“Daniel, I’ve already agreed not to travel in time, remember?” He kept his voice gentle, trying to keep the boy calm and reassure him. He didn’t know exactly how much of the spirits his fellow halfa had consumed but he was definitely trying to avoid ‘blind rage drunk’ with Danny if he could.<br/><br/>Danny stared up at him, sulking in a way that briefly reminded Vlad of when they first met at the reunion. “You have to promise.”<br/><br/>Vlad chuckled, absolutely sure that Danny was kidding. When all he got was a glare he quickly composed himself. Of course Danny was serious. Promises meant something to certain people, though Vlad himself couldn’t relate to the notion. A man was only as good as his word, but it was a well-known fact that Vlad Masters was <em> not </em> a good man.<br/><br/>He heaved a long-suffering sigh and stood, helping Danny up when the boy tried and failed to follow his example. He sat Danny on the edge of the bed, sitting next to him as they’d done earlier that night in the boy’s room. “Daniel… Aren’t there things you wish you could go back and do all over again? Are you telling me you’ve never felt that way?”<br/><br/>Vlad just wanted Danny to understand. He’d been in so much pain for so long, compiled over years of self hate and torment. Vowing to never again look into the past and what could have been was a hefty promise to make. He was finding it increasingly difficult to lie to that face, so he didn’t want to agree simply to placate the boy, even if his word didn’t mean much in the first place. If only Danny would see his side of things...<br/><br/>“Of course I’ve felt that way.” Daniel’s answer surprised him. “But… I worked so hard on this timeline. So have you, I think, just not in the same way.” Vlad wanted him to elaborate on that but he brushed over it like he usually did when it came to discussing his time travels. “There are a few moments I’d change too, but I can’t, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now, y’know?” Vlad was going to ask what was so good about ‘here’, drunk and at the mercy of his long time enemy, but he found himself asking something else entirely.<br/><br/>“What would you go back and change?” He found himself genuinely curious. He was expecting Danny to say something about his accident or biting Vlad, maybe going back and telling his parents about his powers right after he got them. He wasn’t really prepared for the answer he received.<br/><br/>“Oh, I’d probably ask permission this time instead.” Vlad narrowed his eyes in confusion. “To kiss you. In the lab. If I could go back I would have at least asked... Sorry.” He added again for good measure, looking at his lap and going quiet. Vlad did the same, unsure of how to respond to the admission. Danny was obviously still hung up on the kiss he’d literally stolen, and Vlad couldn’t help but be wary of the younger halfa’s mysterious hypnosis power, despite Danny revealing that it wouldn’t work on his human form. He wondered if they’d ever feel truly at ease around each other, something he’d never thought to consider before, as there had been no need for ease in the presence of the enemy.<br/><br/>“So can I?” Vlad blinked, slowly lifting his gaze to see Danny watching him expectantly.<br/><br/>Vlad frowned. “Can you what?” He thought he might know the answer but he asked anyway, feigning confusion. Maybe if he asked directly Daniel would lose his nerve.<br/><br/>“Can I kiss you?” Evidently not. Vlad cleared his throat, trying not to look at Danny’s mouth or his body or his <em> anything </em> because it was all too distracting to Vlad while he was trying to figure out what to do. He thought back to earlier in the night, having Danny so close and how good it felt. He found that he wanted to say yes. He wanted to feel Danny again, to finally know what it was like to kiss him while fully aware, not under the haze of a dream or hypnotism.<br/><br/>But was <em> Danny </em> even fully aware right now?<br/><br/>It was already a bad idea, even worse with ‘alcohol’ in the mix.<br/><br/>“Daniel…” He started, and Danny apparently didn’t like the sound of it one bit.<br/><br/>His tone turned a bit haughty as he smirked up at Vlad, “You were fine touching me in my room earlier tonight…” and the older halfa opened his mouth to retort when Danny held up both hands to stop him before he could get it out. “Okay! Hug me then.” Vlad lifted an eyebrow and Danny flopped onto his back on the bed in exasperation. “A firm handshake?”<br/><br/>Vlad chuckled at his thirst for physical contact. Danny was a young man with needs after all, needs not likely to be met by others when the boy <em> insisted </em> on yearning for him of all people. He stared down at Danny whose hands were over his eyes, still pouting. “Isn’t there anyone in your class you would rather ‘shake hands’ with?”<br/><br/>Danny lifted one of his hands. “Didn’t you hear? They dumped me right before Christmas. Broke my heart.” He snickered at himself, something Vlad unwillingly found charming so he turned away. Danny pouted at the loss of attention, sure he’d been getting on Vlad’s good side, if the man even had one.<br/><br/>“I know you like me.” He said after a moment, drawing a serious look from Vlad. He swallowed, glad he wasn’t sober because the man’s eyes were so unnerving right now, more so than when they glowed red.<br/><br/>Vlad could still look scary sometimes. “Oh?”<br/><br/>Danny nodded, not allowing himself to be intimidated. He could tell Vlad was making his mean face on purpose, more of that ‘discouragement’, he was sure.<br/><br/>“Yeah.” He asserted. “All those years fighting me, kidnapping me, messing with me, trying to make me yours. You even cloned me when you couldn’t have me. The first year or two it was creepy, then it was just… I dunno, weird? Not bad-weird… Different.” He pursed his lips, remembering how obsessed with him the other man was, up until Danny’s change began unwittingly driving Vlad mad, effectively distracting him. It had only turned from creepy to weird and confusing when Danny realized how much he liked the unhealthy amount of attention his nemesis gave him. It was what made him so excited to have a nemesis in the first place, someone almost solely focused on <em> him</em>.<br/><br/>Vlad was silent as he stared at a spot on the bed next to the boy’s head, not liking how much sense Danny’s argument made. How far back <em> did </em> his fixation on Danny go? He’d thought the feelings he’d been assaulted with the past few days were all relatively new, his dreams and thoughts never having been so focused on his enemy in <em> that </em> way before all this started. Danny had been so young when they met, so it was plausible that his desire for Danny in general could have been misconstrued as a desire for a son or an heir, but it was still an alarming revelation. Vlad ran a hand through his hair, feeling a bit rattled by how easily Danny could point out certain parts of his behavior in the past, providing insight to feelings he hadn’t thought to go back and analyze all that thoroughly for himself.<br/><br/>Danny could <em> feel </em> the waves of discomfort coming off of Vlad as the man seemed to think about these points for the very first time. It surprised him how perplexed the older halfa seemed. He knew Vlad could be out of touch sometimes, but he couldn’t believe that he had never looked back on their fights and tried to figure any of it out, never thought to pick it apart or try to understand. Then again, this was the man who blindly pined after only his mother for twenty years, so perhaps Vlad hadn’t thought himself capable of being interested in someone else like that.<br/><br/>Danny wanted to prove that wrong. “You hurt me, but you never, like, killed me. That says a lot.”<br/><br/>Vlad sent him a soft smirk. “None of your foes have ever killed you, Daniel, that doesn’t make me special. My halfa billionaire status is what makes me special.” His smirk turned into a grin when Danny rolled his eyes and tried again. It <em>w</em><em>as </em>fun to mess with Daniel.<br/><br/>“Most of the stuff you did was just to piss me off, like our prank war before you became mayor and made Amity suck.” Vlad’s eyes fell flat with a glare.<br/><br/>“None of those things imply that I have feelings for you…” The slightest tinge of pink dusting his cheeks said otherwise.<br/><br/>Danny smiled, not sure if it was the alcohol or butterflies making him slightly queasy as he made his next point. “Besides, you wear your hair all pretty for me lately...” He laughed softly at the intensified blush Vlad tried to glare through. Pretty? Good God, did Danny think of him as one of his little girlfriends?<br/><br/>Vlad’s voice was a low grumble as he jerked his head to glare at the wall instead of that teasing smile. “You were the one who called it handsome.” That only made Danny laugh harder.<br/><br/>“So you admit you want to look handsome for me? You <em> do </em> like me!” The horrified, humiliated look on Vlad’s face said it all and Danny actually pumped a fist in the air, grinning at the other man’s reaction.<br/><br/>“Wait,” The fist he held in the air fell to his side. “If you like me back then why won’t you kiss me?” His pout was back full force.<br/><br/>Vlad leaned back until he was laying side by side with Danny, their legs dangling over the side of his bed. He laced his fingers over his stomach and sighed, turning his head to look into Danny’s glazed over eyes, his own looking troubled. “You’re young, Daniel. That alone is enough, and while I’ve done some evil things, it was only ever to feed my ambitions, not for the simple sake of deviance. At this point in our relationship, taking advantage of your feelings does not serve me as it would have in the past, since you’ve already agreed to become my protege.” His brow raised as he took in the dopey expression on Danny’s face. “Not to mention you’re drunk.”<br/><br/>Danny blinked slowly, his hazy mind trying to make sense of it all. He supposed the ‘young’ point was valid, but a lot of it sounded like bullshit. Like Vlad Plasmius was against deviance for the sake of deviance, yeah right. He was always starting shit with Danny just for fun, even after they stopped trying to kill each other. Hell, Vlad had tried to make him hold blood blossoms in front of his family mere hours ago, so what the hell?<br/><br/>But the ‘drunk’ thing was kind of fair too...<br/><br/>Danny shifted until he was on his side, bringing him closer to Vlad as he poked the man’s chest.<br/>“Then maybe I’ll be too drunk to remember this and we’ll be even. I know how much you love revenge.” Vlad stifled a laugh but was unable to keep the mirth from his eyes.<br/><br/>“Ah, that’s right, you know me so well.” He wasn’t lying either. Danny probably knew him the best out of anyone, dead or alive.<br/><br/>“Exactly, I know you. And you like me a lot. A whole lot judging by how you keep looking at me. Doesn’t make sense not to kiss my face now. You don’t make sense, Fruit Loop.” And it was almost precious that Danny was attempting to get in his head right now, messed up as the boy was.<br/><br/>“Are you trying to gaslight <em> me</em>?” Vlad <em> invented </em> gaslighting, this was nothing- except maybe pitiful. Though, it was fascinating to witness the effects of the exchange on Daniel first hand. He didn’t really think Danny was fully conscious of what he was doing, especially in his less than sober state, but the behavior threw up red flags labeled ‘Vlad!’ in a way that was hard to miss in someone like Danny. The bold insistence, the discreet manipulation, obvious influences of his energy, but he wondered if Danny realized. “That’s very cute Little Badger, I’m rubbing off on you.”<br/><br/>“<em>Wish </em> you’d rub off on me…” Vlad’s eyes went wide at that, even wider as Danny wiggled closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “See? Not bad… feels good.” Danny slurred. “Just kiss me and see.”<br/><br/>Vlad’s body was <em> tense</em>, the warmth of Danny’s pressed against him reminding him of when the boy had been in his lap. Danny nuzzled into his neck and he jerked back in reflex, closing his eyes and taking a deep, calming breath. “You really don’t know what you’re doing right now, Daniel…” He warned in a low voice.<br/><br/>Danny just leaned in further, “You know, you haven’t said ‘<em>no</em>’ yet. Not even once. It’s just a kiss.” He could feel Danny’s breath against his face and he shivered, his mind assaulting him with the memory of the kiss from his dream, then the kiss he saw on his security cameras. He had a point. What was one more little kiss?<br/><br/>Danny was looking at him with lidded eyes, and they seemed more glazed with lust than intoxication. His lips were no more than an inch away and when he sighed Vlad could taste it. Danny’s hand fisted into Vlad’s shirt and held on so he couldn’t try and get away again as their noses brushed lightly. “Please? Please kiss me?” Vlad very nearly groaned at the absolutely pleading tone. Oh, Danny wasn’t playing <em> fair</em>.</p><p>He didn’t care much about fairness in that moment, licking his lips at the sweet desperation in Danny’s voice. “Begging, Daniel?”<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes flitted from his lips to his eyes and then back again, a predatory gleam shining in them when he realized Vlad might actually cave. “I know my audience.” Vlad wanted to give in and give Danny what he clearly wanted, reward him since he was fighting so hard for it, but part of him argued that he should stop this, that they were playing a dangerous game and what they were feeling probably wasn’t even real.<br/><br/>But that part felt more like Danny’s do-gooder energy than anything. Vlad had been the arch enemy of a <em> child </em> for four years, a villain who’d done questionable to unthinkable things, so if he ignored that nagging feeling in the back of his head, what was left? What was really stopping him now? Potential awkwardness and regret? Possibly more guilt later? Nothing he’d never faced before.<br/><br/>It definitely wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever done either, and Daniel was eighteen and literally begging Vlad for a simple kiss and it was <em> doing </em> things to him. Maddie and Jack would <em> never </em> have to know, and it would just be another little secret of theirs…<br/><br/>It was with those justifications in mind that Vlad leaned in, placing a hand on Danny’s cheek as he pressed their lips together, finding Danny’s to be warm despite his eerily cold breath. It was soft at first, very tentative as Vlad relaxed and tried not to think of just who he was kissing, but that was what made it so <em> exciting</em>. He hummed a pleased sigh as Danny pressed his lithe body against him like before and Vlad finally began to move his lips against the soft, eager ones against them<br/><br/>The scratchiness of Vlad’s goatee scraping against his chin as Vlad <em> slowly </em> kissed him made Danny feel lightheaded for some reason, but he liked the feeling and wanted more, turning his head a bit and pressing his mouth harder to Vlad’s. The sound that left the older man’s throat was downright indecent and <em> holy ghost </em> this was really happening. Danny felt his core actually begin to purr when Vlad’s tongue traced the seam of his lips and he gasped.<br/><br/>They both groaned when Danny let him in, tongues sliding together lewdly as they lost themselves in the sensations. Danny was melting, or that’s what he felt like he was doing. This was so much better than the kiss he stole in the lab, because this was Vlad kissing <em> him</em>, and the thought that Vlad wanted him even half as much as he wanted the older halfa had him embarrassingly aroused.   <br/><br/>Vlad was pleasantly surprised by how good a kisser Danny was, a quick learner too, as he skillfully mimicked his form. Vlad shifted but dutifully kept their lips pressed together, leaning over but not quite putting all of his weight on Danny so as not to crush him, but <em> needing </em> to have Danny under him because <em> God </em> did it feel good. Danny seemed to like that too if the hands pulling him ever closer were any indication.</p><p>Vlad was sure he’d fully died and gone to heaven, no matter how unlikely the destination was, because this had to be what it was like up there. Danny tasted so exquisite, and the way he moved against him was so very <em> tempting</em>, though Vlad suspected he was doing it on purpose. It was overwhelming, more intoxicating than the spirits ever could have hoped to be.<br/><br/>It had been so long since he’d kissed anyone.<br/><br/>His silvery hair curtained around Danny’s face and the boy reached up to tangle his fingers in the locks and pulled, deepening their kiss as he snaked his other hand behind Vlad to grab a handful of his ass while he ground his hips up against the pressure on top of him. He could feel how hard the man was and a flare of fear and anticipation mixed in his gut because this was <em> Plasmius </em> he was currently making out with and it was fucking <em> wild</em>.<br/><br/>And he thought he was dizzy <em> before</em>.<br/><br/>Vlad reared back in surprise at the bold action, effectively breaking their kiss to look down at the boy under him, feeling Danny’s equally aroused hardness against his own and not quite knowing what to do with that.<br/><br/>Well, he knew exactly what he <em> wanted </em> to do with that, just not what he <em> should </em> do…<br/><br/>Danny was still squeezing at his behind and grinning dazedly up at him. “Knew you liked me…” He slurred lowly, wiggling his hips again and biting his lips at the delicious friction.<br/><br/>Vlad simply closed his eyes, pressing his lips together so as not to let Danny know just how <em>ready</em> he was to destroy the boy right then and there. With an iron will he gingerly removed himself, or tried to, only getting halfway there when Danny’s hands held fast onto his shirt and thigh as he pulled away. He stopped his attempts to escape and laid on his side, still pressed against Danny’s with this leg over the boy’s lap as the boy clinged to him. He propped his elbow and rested his chin on the heel of his hand and stared down at Danny, thoughts whirling around in his head tempestuously.<br/><br/>Kissing Daniel shouldn’t feel like that. He didn’t know when, but at some point his core had started <em> vibrating </em> like he was hungry and it had yet to stop, occasionally giving a more violent pulse whenever Danny opened his bleary eyes to look back at him, the sleepy smile never leaving his face as he lay there in a daze.<br/><br/>Vlad didn’t return the smile, too lost in thoughts of all the ways this could turn sour. It was just a kiss- a <em> fine </em> kiss, but a kiss nonetheless, and that didn’t have to mean anything. But Vlad was a hopeless romantic and it meant <em> everything</em>. He wanted to do it again, and he wanted to do <em> more</em>. The way Daniel looked at him when those icy blue eyes opened every now and then, the way he had ‘discreetly’ moved Vlad’s thigh over his erection and ‘subtly’ rocked into the soft inside, the way Danny wouldn’t let him move away. He could, but Danny didn’t want him to, and <em> Vlad </em> didn’t want to.<br/><br/>But he had to. Especially since Danny was snaking a hand down between them, dangerously close to copping a feel before Vlad caught the hand and backed his hips away.<br/><br/>“That’s enough ‘kissing’ for one night, Daniel.” It had been unwise to partake in the first place, but he couldn’t bring himself to really regret his actions. Yet.<br/><br/>He was sure this would bite him in the ass eventually, when Danny went to college or met some pretty girl. That was the very reason he pushed Danny away in the first place, but the boy was persistent, and Vlad was weak to his strange charms.<br/><br/>“I agree.”</p><p>Vlad slapped his hand onto Danny’s chest as the boy clumsily tried to remove his shirt.<br/><br/>“That’s not what I meant, Little Badger.” His eyes were drawn to the exposed flesh just above Danny’s hips, and he could feel the muscles of his chest shift beneath his palm. Vlad swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to cool his body down so as not to react. This boy really had no idea…<br/><br/>Danny pouted but pulled his shirt back down.<br/><br/>“Fine. Baby steps. I’m tired anyway, so whatever…” Then he turned and tucked into Vlad’s chest, his hand still gripping behind Vlad’s knee to keep it over his hip because the pressure felt good, that’s all. Not because he wanted to be closer to the heat emanating from between Vlad’s legs. Definitely not.<br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow, “If you think we’re sleeping like this you’re sorely mistaken, Daniel.” Danny grumbled and held on to Vlad tighter as the man once again tried to escape him.<br/><br/>He eventually huffed, pushing away from Vlad and crawling up to the head of the bed a little too enticingly for Vlad’s taste. “Fine, you win.” And he kicked the covers away and adopted one of Vlad’s large pillows. “Happy?”<br/><br/>“Also not what I meant.” Vlad said, fighting a smile.<br/><br/>“Shh, I’m sleeping.”<br/><br/>Vlad sighed and crawled up to lay his head on the pillow next to Danny’s, staring up at his ceiling as he flopped onto his back. Danny wiggled closer, eyes still closed in ‘sleep’ as he lays his head on Vlad’s chest. He keeps his eyes trained on the ceiling as he reluctantly wraps his arm around the younger halfa and convinces himself that he hadn’t just made a giant mistake. This is good. This is fine and perfectly okay and it wasn’t throwing him back into the inner turmoil of wondering whether or not it was <em> real</em>.<br/><br/>Hadn’t he just been plotting for Maddie earlier in the night? He hadn’t acted on it, but part of him had wanted to, the remnants of the person he once was. He didn’t feel like that man anymore. As all powerful as he’d felt back then, he’d been hurting just as much, boiling in hate from the inside out. Danny was soothing the burn, and even if Vlad did decide to jump into another timeline, he doubted he’d ever be the same after experiencing this.<br/><br/>His attention was so easily focused, which was probably why his ghostly obsession with the Fentons had lasted so very long in its intensity, but he felt all of that attention diverting itself to their captivating son. He was a glorious mix of the two people Vlad had cared about the most as a young man, Jack’s good will and naivety with Maddie’s quick wit and tenacity. All of Maddie’s soft, beautiful features with Jack’s coloring and strong jaw, like he was made to fill every void in Vlad’s heart that they’d left behind twenty years ago.<br/><br/>He knew that was probably wrong of him to think, and he knew he didn’t deserve anything like that, but he <em> wanted </em> it, and he’d always been a selfish man. Besides, Danny wanted him too. Even if it was just a brief infatuation Danny had with him that would fade when he found someone more appropriate for him, he could at least enjoy it while it lasted.<br/><br/>He knew he was setting himself up to fail. Vlad looked down and shifted to watch Danny’s eyes move behind his lids, fluttering his lashes all too prettily. It was unnerving, like he was loading a gun pointed directly at his heart and waiting for it to go off, but he pushed the dread away, forcing himself to focus on the present. If it came down to it in the end, if it hurt too much when it was over, he could always go with his original plan and leave this timeline.<br/><br/>But not before Danny was done with him. Not before Vlad could soak up every ounce of whatever this feeling was. It felt like a pitiful surrender to their eternal rivalry but it was sweet as well, it didn’t sting as much as he thought it might.<br/><br/>Danny stirred and Vlad failed to resist placing a soft kiss to his forehead, inhaling the boy’s scent before reluctantly pulling away and redirecting his eyes to the ceiling once more. He felt light in a way that, at this point, likely had little to do with his core. It scared him a bit, but he embraced the feeling, not having felt it like this since his youth. He wondered if he would have been this weak to Maddie if things had been different but he chased the idea away. It would have never been like this. Maddie didn’t know him half as well as her son did, and she wouldn’t be nearly as forgiving if she knew what he was capable of, not to mention all of the things he’d already done.<br/><br/>Her son was something else, though. He couldn’t help but think Danny was an idiot for looking past his transgressions so easily, or it seemed like he had, because why else would he be cuddled up to his side like Vlad hadn’t tried to destroy his life and family countless times. Hating them all had been so much easier, equally frustrating but much less confusing.<br/><br/>This wasn’t bad at all though, not in this moment. He’d take what he could get and bask in the feeling of being truly wanted while he could, then he’d face the music when he had to. And he just knew he’d have to.<br/><br/>Between the proto-portal accident and all of the foiled plans he’d ever made he should be used to things blowing up in his face by now.<br/><br/><br/><br/></p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feed me your thoughts ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. The Tapestry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christmas morning y'all.</p><p>Sad boner.</p>
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</p><p> </p><p>Good lord, Danny couldn’t remember ever being kissed like this. Making out with Sam or Valerie had never made him want to tear off his clothes this badly. Vlad was kissing him and taking control just like in all of his fantasies and it was <em> so hot</em>.<br/><br/>He could hear the man’s voice echoing in his head, feeling the taut muscles beneath his fingers as his hands crept under Vlad’s shirt and Vlad was <em> letting </em> him touch, moaning into his mouth as he ground himself between Danny’s legs. They were on his bed again, but this time with significantly less clothing, and Vlad’s iron grip pushing his thighs apart had his breath stuttering. His head was jerked to the side as Vlad went after his neck, then down his shoulder, sucking and biting and Danny could only take so much of the sweet torture. They were suddenly bathed in light but he wasn’t sure which of them had changed, too enthralled by Vlad’s lips and tongue against his skin. He could feel his ghost core vibrating almost painfully.<br/><br/>Very painfully.<br/><br/>Okay, way too painfully!<br/><br/>He winced, pulling away as a scorching sensation erupted from his middle. It felt like his core was being both ripped from his body and <em> burning </em> its way out of him. He pushed at Vlad’s shoulders so he could try and see what was happening to him but the man wasn’t budging at all, like an immovable force that was growing heavier by the second. Vlad was pressing hot kisses to his face and mumbling sweet reassurances as Danny began to whimper, squeezing his eyes shut so tears wouldn’t fall because <em> God </em> it really <em> hurt. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> “Vlad…”<br/><br/><em> “It’s okay, Little Badger… Just let it happen…”  </em>Let what happen? His voice seemed to be getting even lower, a dangerous pitch that had scared him as a kid but did other things to him now.<br/><br/>Until it changed entirely. “<b><em>We belong together...</em> </b> ” His eyes snapped open, recognizing that voice <em> anywhere</em>. He could feel his body begin to shake under Vlad’s, but it wasn’t Vlad for long. The face was morphing, red irises staring down at him with murderous delight as realization of what was happening finally struck Danny.<br/><br/>He squirmed and fought but Dan held his arms at either side of his head. “<b>It’s too late, little one, it’s already happening.</b>” Danny’s eyes could finally snap down to where Dan was looking and found their middles fusing in a blinding whirl of pink and green light. He screamed as Dan’s body melted into his, Danny’s core meeting ‘Vlad’s’ in a searing burst of energy, corrupting his very soul as his humanity was torn away from him, forced out by Dan’s overwhelming evil as they merged into one. He laughed as Danny’s tears finally fell, feeling himself begin to fade away into nothingness.<br/><br/>It was Vlad’s voice again for a moment, coming from Dan’s grinning mouth as he pressed their foreheads together and stared into his eyes madly, sinking further into his young counterpart and echoing their fusion. <em> “We belong together, Daniel… </em> <b> <em> I'm inevitable."</em> </b> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Danny shot up, choking on a sob as he tried to scream. He searched the room frantically, sure that Dan was lurking in the shadows because he could still hear that psychotic <em> laugh</em>. Only when he was one hundred percent <em> positive </em> that he was alone did he relax and allow himself to cry, forcing down a wave of nausea. He hadn’t dreamed of Dan in a couple months now. They all felt too real for comfort, but something was different about that last one. Most of them were painful and terrifying, but that had been twisted, taking something that felt good and turning it into something else, perverting his desire to be with Vlad into <em> being with Vlad </em> as one, his worst nightmare.<br/><br/>It had never been <em> Vlad </em> turning into Dan, it was usually Danny himself. Then again, Dan was just as much Vlad as he was Danny, so what if... He reassured himself that it couldn’t happen that way, that their humanity made it impossible to form that monster, and Vlad was different now from the person he’d been when Dan formed. Danny was too, aching from the memory of watching the people he loved die but not weighed down with the grief of them actually being gone like in the other timeline.<br/><br/>Dan was impossible now, Clockwork said so, right?<br/><br/>They were different and Dan was <em> impossible now</em>.<br/><br/>But wasn’t he looking more and more like his future fusion every day? The feeding and all of Vlad’s stupid quirks made him feel less than moral lately, then there was the fact that he could basically <em> control </em> other ghosts now, and if that wasn’t some Dan bullshit then-<br/><br/>No, he was fine. It was a dream, he and Vlad are still very much human and alive and entirely incapable of fusing into one pure ghost being. He could almost hear himself screaming the logic in his head. <em> Dan was </em> <b> <em>impossible</em> </b> <em> now. </em> He repeated it in his head over and over again until he felt himself calm down, like an overly aggressive mantra, throwing the blankets off of his legs and swinging them over the side of the bed as the night’s events returned to his throbbing head.<br/><br/>He’d made out with Vlad Masters. On the man’s bed. Then he passed out?</p><p>He vaguely remembered falling asleep against Vlad’s chest, a memory that brought a light blush to his face, but now the man was nowhere in sight. He was a little afraid that Vlad was upset with him, maybe for getting drunk, maybe for the kissing, he wasn’t sure. He just knew he really didn’t want to be alone right now.<br/><br/>He went Phantom, ignoring his reflection in the mirror he passed as he drifted through the halls in search of his future mentor. He couldn’t look at his face after that dream, but he couldn’t bring himself to exert the energy to conceal the damning features at the moment with the pounding in his head. The throbbing was easy to ignore if he floated slowly, and he reached out with his ghost core to search for the blazing heat of Vlad’s.<br/><br/>It was different from what he felt in the nightmare, still overwhelmingly hot, nearly burning, but the burn from the dream felt like it had been searing his very nerves. The heat of Vlad’s core was almost inviting, and he remembered the warm tingling of their last feeding with a smile.<br/><br/>He found the man in his library as Plasmius, four impossibly large books open on the coffee table as he sat on the fancy little couch Danny had once slept on, a duplicate at his side with a fifth book in his lap. He was going to sneak up on them but of course Vlad always had to ruin his fun.<br/><br/>“Good morning, Daniel.” He said languidly, neither of the Vlads lifting his gaze from his readings.<br/><br/>Danny panicked at the greeting and looked around the room for the time before finding an obnoxiously ornate grandfather clock in the corner that read four-fifty-two in the morning. Good, he wasn’t late. That would have been a hard one to explain to his parents if they came to wake him for Christmas.<br/><br/>“It’s only ‘morning’ for old people, I should be asleep.” Vlad gave a light snort but otherwise kept his attention on the books. Danny frowned. “My head is killing me. You’re lucky I didn’t barf on your bed.”<br/><br/>“That’s about par for the course with how much intoxicant you consumed. I warned you.” But Vlad still wasn’t <em> looking </em> at him.<br/><br/>“Merry Christmas, asshole.” He mumbled as an afterthought, running out of things to say but desperately needing Vlad to talk to him. It didn’t have to be about kissing last night, he just needed the attention and to not think about that fucking dream. Vlad only murmured a distracted “Same to you.” as he looked up from his books to the large tapestry he’d hung up on the wall.<br/><br/>He’d watched the boy sleep for a while, enjoying the feeling of holding someone while he tried to imagine the future with this new… companionship in the mix. After most of those thoughts ended in disaster he gave up trying to plot this particular part of his life. There were just some things you couldn’t plan for, and Daniel never behaved how Vlad expected him to anymore, not since he was a child, so there was really no point. They’d have to just… see what happens, but the unpredictable nature of that was driving him mad and he quickly switched lanes to think of something -anything- else.<br/><br/>Danny was still the subject of his thoughts in the end, naturally. He began to think about the boy’s ghostly changes and it wasn’t long before his mind became overwrought with questions about the recent transformation. Remembering his spoils from the evening’s little excursion, Vlad had slipped away from Danny’s hold and grabbed the book he’d swiped back from Ghostwriter, knowing there was a part of the opus that covered ghostly power acquisition in some respect or another.<br/><br/>For some reason he couldn’t leave tapestry behind though, so he brought it along too.<br/><br/>He’d gone through the book at least ten times in his years as a ghost, notating and translating and deciphering all of its little factoids and prophecies, and each time he found new fascinating bits of ghost lore, some part he’d missed or overlooked. He knew there was something of use in there for Daniel’s strange change in appearance, but between the translating of multiple languages and sheer vastness of the book he found himself easily distracted. His eyes were shifting from the book again and again.<br/><br/>It was that damned tapestry calling out to him with its mysterious writings and intricate weavings, eating at his focus until he hung it above his fireplace and just stared at it. Anytime he looked away or tried to do something else his eyes were pulled back up to the writings, the edges of his vision blurring like in the library whenever he tried to fight said pull. The language was definitely not of any human civilization, and it wasn’t quite like the snippets of ghost language he’d seen in Pariah Dark’s book, so he’d gathered his other ghostly tomes and made a duplicate to pour over them with him. They’d been at it for at least an hour and a half before Danny came in and they were frustratingly nowhere close to translating it. It was simply too foreign, and while he had a remarkable ear for language it didn’t help him in the slightest for this venture when he couldn’t <em> hear </em> the tapestry.<br/><br/>He laced his fingers, staring at each character, trying to find a pattern because there was <em> always </em> a pattern, no matter the language, but it was like the tapestry was <em> made </em> to be nonsensical and impossible to read. He dismissed his duplicate and sighed in frustration, a ragged sound that spoke volumes of his sleeplessness as he reverted back to his human form. Maybe he should have just focused on Daniel’s change.<br/><br/>But it wouldn’t <em> let </em> him.<br/><br/>“Hey… This is that thing you stole, isn’t it?” Danny’s suspicious voice pulled him from his musings.<br/><br/>He watched Danny walk up to the tapestry, squinting as he looked over the markings. Vlad frowned. “Ghostwriter and I refer to it as extended borrowing.” He smirked at Danny’s glare, the boy clearly not believing him. “This book is mine anyway, no harm no foul.”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t quite believe that either, but he had no real way of proving Vlad wrong. “I guess if Ghostwriter is cool with it…”<br/><br/>“Oh yes, he’s plenty ‘cool’ with it.” Vlad just hoped Danny wasn’t around when Ghostwriter inevitably came searching for him.<br/><br/>Vlad was jolted from his thoughts as a strange moaning, hissing noise filled the room, his eyes trailed to the source to see Danny staring up at the tapestry with his too-bright eyes, the eerie skipping sound falling from his lips. He immediately recognized it as the sound Danny had made in the security cameras and his heart seized. Danny was using that strange ability on him again. He had no idea what Danny was trying to command him to do since he was hearing it in human form, but he still felt his core react to the sound of that power, like a strange pull in his gut.<br/><br/>It didn’t last long, a very brief command perhaps, but the creepiness of it kept echoing in his head, as if his brain was still trying to decipher it with his human ears.<br/><br/>Upon Vlad’s utter silence Danny looked over at him to find the man staring at him, eyes wide and wary with a serious, guarded expression on his face.<br/><br/>Danny frowned, glancing back at the tapestry. Was it something he said? “What? What does that mean?”<br/><br/>Vlad blinked, following Danny’s eyes and flitting back again. “I don’t know, Little Badger.” Did Danny not realize he wasn’t speaking English? Did the letters not register as foreign to him?<br/><br/>“It’s right there, Fruit Loop, do you need your glasses?” Vlad dismissed the dig, looking back at the tapestry again just to make sure he wasn’t insane.<br/><br/>“Daniel… Where do you see that?” Danny walked up to it and pointed at a line of unintelligible text, again releasing the most inhuman sounds Vlad had ever heard. He remembered it from the audio from his lab feed but it was so much more disturbing in person. With a giant leap of faith and an uncharacteristic amount of trust, Vlad became Plasmius. Danny gave him an odd look at the transformation but kept going, Vlad’s now ghostly ears picking up the tail end of what Danny was apparently reading off.<br/><br/>“‘... <em> restless souls </em> ’?” Vlad’s brows shot up when he understood Danny. He’d only caught the end of the phrase, and fortunately he felt no compulsion to bend to the boy’s will, so perhaps <em> this </em> ghost speak had nothing to do with his compelling whispers? Or maybe it only worked with commands, but he hadn’t heard enough of what Danny'd said?<br/><br/>“I beg your pardon?” If that <em> had </em> been a command he was literally asking for it now...<br/><br/>Danny looked over at him, bright green eyes shining intensely as he traced under the glowing green script with slight exasperation, as if reading to a child or slower individual.  “ <em> ‘Veiled in the shadows of restless souls</em>’ is what this line says I think. Kinda dark for a curtain.”<br/><br/>“This is not a <em> curtain</em>-” He dismissed the thought, focusing on the much more pressing matter at hand, namely that Danny appeared to have just translated one of the lines of whatever ghost language this was. “Daniel, can you really read that?” Danny blinked, confused.<br/><br/>“Yeah? Can’t you?” Danny looked over at it again, Vlad doing the same. Could one only read this thing as a ghost? He transformed into Fenton and looked up at the tapestry once again.<br/><br/>He could still read it just fine, so why couldn’t Vlad?<br/><br/>“No, Little Badger, I cannot. This is unfortunately no language with which I am familiar.” Danny frowned and Vlad fought to keep his face neutral so as not to reveal his alarm. How many more powers was Daniel going to develop? When did this one appear? He supposed different ghosts had different skills or abilities, but the powers Danny had were so strange and out of left field to Vlad.<br/><br/>He swallowed, slowly and pensively making his way back to the table to scrawl into one of the notebooks amongst his sources. “Daniel, do you think you could translate <em> all </em> of it?”<br/><br/>“I mean, yeah? I think...” He stared back at the not-curtain and silently read the top line in his head. It obviously wasn’t English, and it didn’t appear or sound that way in his head, so how <em> did </em> he understand it? He’d never seen those letters before, but when he looked at them they just made sense, even if they weren’t directly tied to his mother tongue. He read it and the understanding of the squiggle’s meaning was just there, but putting that meaning into the only language he <em> actually </em> knew was tricky. But he wasn't doing that, was he? The language just came out...<br/><br/>It didn't matter, he'd read the one line, so the others shouldn’t be a big deal.<br/><br/>But Vlad made it <em> seem </em> like a big deal.<br/><br/>He looked back to the older halfa to find those bright red eyes trained on him, narrowed dangerously like when he was deep in thought or something wasn’t going according to plan. He didn’t like the weird, serious air around Vlad… Whatever he was up to had something to do with whatever that ugly curtain said, and Vlad needed it.</p><p>Danny smirked mischievously, a wonderful idea popping into his head as he changed back to Phantom.</p><p>"I can do it… for a price."</p><p>Vlad raised a dark eyebrow. "Is that so? And what is your price?" He was almost afraid to ask.<br/><br/>“I’ll read it all to you, but I get a kiss for each line.” Danny was absolutely grinning, basking in the deadpan look that Vlad was trying to force past his obvious embarrassment. He didn’t know Vlad was capable of being that cute…<br/><br/>Vlad counted the lines and sent Danny a wry look. “I commend your opportunist attitude, Daniel, but how about for every stanza?” He wouldn’t mind kissing the boy sixteen times, but they’d have to get him home pretty soon, and after last night, he didn’t think the kisses Danny had in mind were very chaste.<br/><br/>Danny excitedly plopped down on the couch next to Vlad, wrapping his arms around the man’s middle and settling his chin on one of those broad shoulders to peer at the notebook in his hands. Vlad cleared his throat, forcing his muscles to relax in the unexpected embrace.<br/><br/>“So I can’t remember what a stanza is…” Vlad chuckled, not surprised. He really was going to have to buy this kid into college.<br/><br/>“For every four lines, I will kiss you.” Vlad watched Danny purse his lips in thought.<br/><br/>“Every <em>other</em> line…” He tried.<br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow. “Every other four.” He countered.<br/><br/>“Fine! Every stanza!”<br/><br/>The older halfa scoffed as he turned in Danny’s hold, his hand gripping the back of Danny’s neck and guiding the boy’s mouth to his. He felt Danny’s fingers twitch at his waist and smirked into the kiss, sucking Danny’s lower lip into his mouth and nipping lightly before pulling away all too soon and leaving Danny to stare at him in a daze.</p><p>There, a nice appetizer.<br/><br/>“Quality over quantity, my dear boy, and we don’t have all day.” He smirked as Danny nodded dumbly, looking up at the tapestry to get to work. If only he’d known that this was all it took to disarm the boy.<br/><br/>As Plasmius, Danny’s words were clear as day to Vlad, if not with a bit of an echo. “<em>The kingdom waits, Cold and empty as the last to rule. Upon the throne will sit the king of triumph over all, veiled in the shadows of restless souls.</em>”<br/><br/>Vlad was scribbling it down verbatim as the words spun themselves into his head, planning on annotating later when he had the time. His mind was already racing to make sense of it before he even got to the rest, the pull to the tapestry ever stronger now that he actually knew what it was saying.<br/><br/>He looked at Danny expectantly for the rest, only to see the look returned. Ah yes, their agreement.<br/><br/>He summoned that negative light to turn himself into Masters but Danny put a hand on his chest with a small noise of protest. “I, uh, kinda wanna kiss you like this…” Danny’s cheeks glowed and his eyes fell to Vlad’s mouth. He frowned, tongue running over one of his fangs almost self consciously.<br/><br/>He’d gotten used to his form a long time ago, but that didn’t make it any less monstrous. Why would Daniel want to kiss him when he looked this way?<br/><br/>He always was a strange one.<br/><br/>Danny licked his lips, pondering the very same thing himself. Sure, Vlad looked a little scarier like this, but… not <em>bad</em>. He almost seemed younger in this form too, maybe his dark hair, and Danny really liked the fangs for some reason. Somehow he pulled off the blue skin too…<br/><br/><em>God</em> was he some kind of <em>monsterfucker?</em><br/><br/>He pushed the thoughts aside, eager to claim his reward already. The hand he’d placed on Vlad’s chest fisted into the fabric to pull the man closer, forcing Vlad to lean over him a bit as he brought their mouths together and caught the man’s lip between his teeth as Vlad had done to him. A hand fell to his inner thigh, causing his cock to twitch in anticipation for some sort of contact and he tried to raise his hips ever so subtly.<br/><br/>Stubbornly, the hand wasn’t moving up any higher, giving him the impression that Vlad was toying with him, as usual. This was confirmed when Vlad smirked into their kiss and gave a playful squeeze before leaning back to return his attention to the task at hand. He couldn’t spoil the boy after all.<br/><br/>“Next stanza, Daniel.” He held back a chuckle when Danny’s reading got faster.<br/><em><br/></em><em>“Enslaved by life as is chained to death. He is mourned, a suffering beyond his years. It is written in truth, The ever changing fate, That-</em> Wait, no, that’s the next one.” This time he pushed Vlad back, crawling between the man’s legs and slamming their mouths together without preamble. Vlad quickly got over his initial surprise, seeming to have abandoned his previous reservations for now as he let his gloved hands glide over the body on top of him while he kissed back just as earnestly.<br/><br/>Danny pushed his tongue into Vlad’s mouth, gasping when it met Vlad’s own forked one. He’d forgotten it was like that in this form. It was… different, but weirdly hot, and he mentally screamed.<br/><br/><em>I really </em><b><em>am</em></b><em> a monsterfucker!</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em>Then that thought brought on other thoughts of <em>fucking</em> Vlad and he groaned a little too pornographically for either of their tastes, both breaking the kiss at the sound to stare at the other, blue and red mist mingling between them.<br/><br/>“Sorry,” He said without thinking, not sure what he was really sorry for. He pushed himself up a bit, one hand on the couch and another on the other halfa’s firm chest. Vlad looked up at him with bright pink bleeding through the blue of his cheeks and he shook his head, dismissing the apology.<br/><br/>He cleared his throat, reaching for the notepad he’d dropped in his descent. “Let’s- let’s do the next few…” Danny swallowed at the slightly breathless air to Vlad’s voice, feeling himself grow harder from the sound alone.<br/><br/>Danny’s own voice shook a bit, not wanting to get off of Vlad but half obliging when the man began to sit up. He shifted onto Vlad’s lap as he read the next lines from the tapestry, barely registering the meaning of the words he spoke as he sped through them to get to the compensation portion of the deal. <em>“That he who lives must die by his hand, To reclaim both life and death as his own. Preservation of peace, or destruction of worlds,”</em> He barely waited for Vlad to finish writing before he dove back in, tangling his fingers in dark hair and slamming his mouth onto Vlad's again.<br/><br/>It was so very similar to the position they’d fed in, but this time Danny ground himself against Vlad with no hesitation. When he felt the man’s hands on his hips he expected to be pulled away, but Vlad only held him in place while he returned the gesture and Danny shivered against him at the delicious pressure.<br/><br/>Merry-fucking-Christmas, this was <em>everything</em>.<br/><br/>He continued to move against the older halfa, but Vlad eventually did pull away when a particular roll of Danny’s hips almost made him forget himself and strip the both of them down right then and there. His hands were still gripping bruises into Danny as they pressed their foreheads together, pulling himself together so as not to get too caught up. Danny squeezed his eyes shut as their foreheads touched, remembering how Dan-Vlad had done the very same in his dream, and he fought to focus on the hot puffs of breath against his lips as Vlad panted ever so subtly.<br/><br/>Another small kiss was placed on his lips before Vlad rasped, “Last lines, Little Badger…”<br/><br/>Danny nodded, opening his eyes and leaning in to steal another peck like Vlad had done, only for the man to rear his head back from the kiss and grin. “Ah-ah, my boy. We had a deal.” The notepad was suddenly slapped against Danny’s chest, the abrupt movement making him have to reach his arms back to catch himself since he was still in Vlad’s lap.<br/><br/>Vlad placed the pen to the paper before looking up at Danny all too knowingly, “I’m waiting, Daniel.” He could tell the boy was just shy of falling apart, staring down at him with a starving expression that made Vlad almost forget what was so enthralling about that tapestry in the first place. Almost. The tunnel vision came back as soon as his mind strayed too far from the objective.<br/><br/>What <em>was</em> that?<br/><br/>Danny’s voice penetrated his thoughts as he spouted the last few lines of the glowing script.<em> “Savior of righteous punishment.” </em>He murmured, eyes flitting side to side as he read the remainder and turned back to face Vlad, the orbs glowing ever brighter as they settled on him. Vlad felt one of those indescribable feelings bloom in his chest, so overtaken by the emotion that he nearly missed the last of the reading. “<em>His paradox made void- Only then shall each realm know rest, and all will be as it should.”</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em>He’d been lost in the desire in Danny’s eyes but an almost painful clarity broke him out of it at the last line, the phrasing setting off blaring sirens in his head.<br/><br/><em>All will be as it should.</em><br/><br/>God, why did that sound like fucking Clockwork?<br/><br/>Danny’s soft lips stole him from his musings, making the pen and notebook slip from his hands to tumble to the floor once more, other activities taking precedence. This time he let his hands wander, both of them going straight for the younger halfa’s ass, kneading the somewhat muscular flesh beneath them. How he’d resisted the urge last night, he’d never know.<br/><br/>They parted as he let himself be pushed onto his back again, quite intrigued by this more… sensual side of Daniel.<br/><br/>Danny leered down at him hungrily, a look he never in his life would have expected to receive from the hero before all of this began. Hands slightly smaller than his own danced over his chest and torso and he squeezed at tight cheeks in response, once again making Danny’s hips jerk against him.<br/><br/>Danny couldn't believe his eyes. This was so unreal. It was unreal last night, but it was even more so now that he was decidedly more sober after a few short hours of sleep, and seeing Plasmius like<em> this</em>, on his back and waiting for Danny’s next move... He lifted his hand to Vlad’s face, simply touching for the sake of touching, because <em>who else</em> could say they had ever caressed Vlad like this. The same could be said about him, as he was only eighteen and had, despite his relationships, not gotten very far in terms of intimate explorations.<br/><br/>Vlad was a different case. He’d been around twice as long as Danny, even longer. A fair half of that was spent obsessed with his mother, so had Vlad spent all this time alone? Maybe. Probably not, but for some reason that thought aggravated him. Vlad was a grown man, it shouldn’t matter, but for some reason it did. </p><p>Jealousy. What an ugly emotion. He didn’t feel it very often, at least not in this way, but he wasn’t liking it very much.<br/><br/>The influence of Vlad’s being was an exhausting burden to bear.<br/><br/>Danny chased the thoughts away. He should focus on the present, making Vlad never want anyone else to touch him ever again, though that was a worrying thought as well. Danny’s fingers glided up from his cheek and threaded into Plasmius’ stupid hair, stifling a chuckle. He liked it down, but it was probably just a habit for Vlad to wear it like this in ghost form. Sinister, but unforgivably ridiculous. He smoothed it back, smiling when Vlad’s eyes fell closed at the sensation.<br/><br/>This felt like victory. He couldn’t say he’d <em> defeated </em> Plasmius, but he’d sure worn him down. Danny grinned at the thought, leaning over and bracing his elbow next to Vlad’s head while his other hand continued to play in his hair, effectively ruining his usual style. He kissed the very corner of Vlad’s mouth, moving away when Vlad tried to meet him. Red eyes fluttered open and Danny twirled a long dark lock of hair around his fingers. Vlad watched with barely hidden fascination.<br/><br/>“You really like it, hm?”<br/><br/>Danny nodded, “Yeah, it’s pretty.” Vlad grimaced at the word and Danny laughed, “What? It’s not like I called <em> you </em> pretty.”<br/><br/>‘Pretty’ probably wasn’t the best description of Plasmius. Handsome, yes, but the only thing ‘pretty’ about him was that long hair.<br/><br/>And maybe his eyes. Even when they were red like this they were entrancing, and they were watching him stare.<br/><br/>Danny pressed his lips to Vlad’s, savoring it for a moment before moving them. This was the last one, and something in his head kept telling him that he had to make it count, as if Vlad might change his mind. It felt like another foreign thought, perhaps mixing with his own fear that Vlad might leave for another timeline, so he trailed his hands down Vlad’s face and neck almost lovingly, desperate to convince him to stay. Vlad didn’t seem to know how to respond to the sudden tenderness, a reaction that made Danny a little sad. Thinking about how utterly depressing Vlad’s life was extinguished a bit of his earlier fire, and the hands that had been so greedy for him earlier seemed frozen, trying to figure out what to do with the new atmosphere that had bloomed in the room.<br/><br/>Vlad felt lost in the shift, the mood having taken a turn that he hadn’t expected.<br/><br/>It was certainly different from the hormonally charged grinding. Danny’s expression had changed from nearly predatory to… this. It was a gentleness he couldn’t remember feeling since he was a child and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why it was coming from Daniel. Perhaps he was still telling himself that this was all physical, but the way Danny was kissing him spoke volumes of another feeling.<br/><br/>Was it yearning? Had Danny felt as alone as him?<br/><br/>No, not in the same way. He had his family, and his trusty friends, and though his parents hardly knew him Vlad could tell they wanted to. The loneliness Vlad had endured all these years had been soul crushing and isolating, two full decades as the only one of his kind, keeping a secret that was all his own. Daniel would never know that pain.<br/><br/>But then again, Vlad had no idea what it was like to feel alone while surrounded by people that loved him.<br/><br/>There was no need to compare, he and Daniel were the same in the end.<br/><br/>Vlad let his hands creep up the younger halfa’s back as he tightened his hold, slowly wrapping his arms around Danny’s middle and squeezing like a boa constrictor as he deepened their kiss. He didn’t deserve soft kisses or feather-light caresses, especially not in this form, and he didn’t want to think about what he <em> actually </em> deserved, so he searched for that heat again instead. It was easy to find when one’s partner was an overly excitable young man, and said young man was easily distracted from doling out his sweet affections when Vlad kissed along his jaw until he reached a rather sensitive spot just below his ear.<br/><br/>Danny wasn’t expecting the harsh sucking sensation, nor was he expecting to like it so much. Vlad smirked and chose that very moment to teleport them to his bedroom in a radiant pink light, so his undignified gasping moan nearly echoed off the walls of Fenton Works. Danny jerked upright and slapped a hand over his mouth when he took in his surroundings, then glared down at Vlad, who looked all too amused.<br/><br/>“Careful, Daniel, someone might hear you.”<br/><br/>Danny glared, punching his chest and hearing a satisfying ‘oof’ in response. “You did that on purpose! What if they <em> did </em> hear?!” Vlad was somehow still able to look annoyingly smug while on his back, giving a small lift of his shoulders.<br/><br/>“Perhaps you shouldn’t be so loud then, Little Badger. Making all that noise...” That made Danny’s face glow green, because Vlad was kind of right, and he was beyond embarrassed to hear a sound like that come from himself.<br/><br/>Danny grit his teeth, quickly changing the subject. “And why the hell do you have, like, fifteen different methods of teleportation you blowhard?” The light was what caused him to snap his eyes open and see that he was in his bedroom, but he’d only seen Vlad teleport like this maybe one other time.<br/><br/>Most of the time it was in a theatrical spinning of pink or black smoke. Dramatic.<br/><br/>Vlad only laughed at his exasperation, “A good super villain must have options, my dear boy. I need my grand entrances to remain fresh, lest you get bored with me.” The flirtatious banter worked wonders for his embarrassment and he thanked the heavens that Vlad went along with it.<br/><br/>Danny grinned and loomed over him, placing his hands on either side of the ghost’s face. “Oh Plasmius, how could I ever?” Vlad rolled his eyes, but his smile stayed in place as he reached up to run his hand through Danny’s hair.<br/><br/>“In all seriousness, it is simply an ability that I have always had a knack for, and as I’ve said before, I’ve had years of pract-” Vlad cut himself off at the sound of a footstep outside the door, snapping his head to the left to see a shadow moving underneath. When the knob turned he felt the younger halfa change back to human form, while he himself immediately went invisible under Danny.<br/><br/>He watches Maddie peer inside before giving her son a weird look, and Vlad realized how strange Danny must have appeared… positioned on his hands and knees atop his bed. She didn’t know Vlad was underneath of course, that would have only made it stranger, but it still had to look odd.<br/><br/>“Um, honey? Are you okay?” She stepped a bit closer, a bit wary of her son and his weird behavior after last night’s discovery. “Who were you talking to?” Danny felt Vlad tense beneath him.<br/><br/>“Uh, no one, I was just… Having a really weird dream I guess…” Maddie frowned, her guard going up a bit. She <em> knew </em> she heard another voice in here. It sounded the tiniest bit distorted, like all ghost voices, so she knew it didn’t belong to her son. “Okay… It’s almost seven-thirty, so breakfast will be done soon. You’re father and sister are already down, so wash your face and don’t take too long.”<br/><br/>Vlad stared up at his old lost love with a bit of wonder as she walked over, dangerously close to touching him as she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her son’s forehead. He didn’t miss how Danny’s eyes flitted down to him even though he was unseen, his expression hard for Vlad to pin down. The both of them were deathly silent and still until she’d gone and closed the door behind her.<br/><br/>Vlad reappeared when he heard her going down the stairs and flinched when Danny slapped his arm.<br/><br/>“You asshole! I can’t believe you just left me like that!” He couldn’t imagine how awkward it looked for his mother to walk in on him on all fours for no discernible reason.<br/><br/>“You’re absolutely right, Daniel, I should have turned you invisible too, leave her to wonder why her son isn’t in his room? Or perhaps you wanted her to see me here? Should I have stayed?”<br/><br/>“Ah, fuck you dude…” Vlad was right. Damnit. And maybe he did want his mom to see Vlad there… No, weird thought. “Well, if she didn’t think I had mental issues before…” Was it even possible for him not to act like a weirdo at this point? He guessed it was better than her knowing the truth for now, but still… </p><p>At his grim expression Vlad raised up, a hand cupping his face as he was kissed again. This one was insistent, as if Vlad was trying to distract him since he couldn’t really reassure Danny that it would all magically be okay. It made him feel a little less like some freak of nature, less like he was all alone. He sighed into the kiss, taking the comfort for what it was, still reveling in the fact that Vlad seemed to want him back. A guy could get used to this.<br/><br/>Vlad gave his thigh a pat as he broke the kiss, urging Danny to hop to it and get downstairs before his mother came back. Danny stayed in his lap, arms wrapping around his neck as he stared down into Vlad’s eyes. He smiled, beginning to laugh.<br/><br/>Vlad’s brows scrunched in confusion, “What is it?” His eyes narrowed, feeling like the butt of a joke for some reason.<br/><br/>Danny shook his head, still grinning. “It’s just so freaking <em>weird</em>, you know? Me and you, I mean.” Vlad’s face fell the instant the words left Danny’s mouth.<br/><br/>Was Daniel having second thoughts? Had he already gotten over his infatuation now that he’d essentially gotten a taste? Maybe kissing Vlad had satisfied his curiosity. The novelty of it had worn off already. He felt quite wounded, not having expected it to happen so soon.<br/><br/>“Daniel, is this not what you wanted?” Vlad couldn’t help the bitterness that seeped into his voice. He should have known. Hell, he <em>had</em> known. He supposed it was better that it happened this early on before he became too swept away. It was only natural that Danny would push him and push him until he gave in, and right as he began thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to surrender to the feeling, Danny stole it away again. That sounded about right.<br/><br/>Danny saw the flurry of emotions in Vlad’s glowing eyes despite his steely expression. Betrayal, anger, longing… hurt. “Oh! Yes, it<em> is</em> what I wanted! It’s just… I mean, wanting it doesn’t make it any less weird. In either of our personas.” Vlad relaxed and Danny realized just how insecure the man really was. It was kind of amazing that Vlad, successful billionaire bachelor, notoriously revered halfa, seemed to think himself unlovable.<br/><br/>With all of the horrible things Vlad had done it made sense, especially if he was feeling as remorseful for his past actions as he claimed. But Danny felt like he understood. He’d housed the festering negativity of Vlad’s core in his own, and he was the only one who truly knew both sides of Vlad, the only one who could possibly relate to the suffering of being both human and ghost, and yet being neither.<br/><br/>Did he forgive Vlad for the things he’d done? He wasn’t sure… He didn’t like to think back to moments like those, or any of his more painful memories, but he wanted all of it behind them. He knew it would never totally go away, just like his memories of Dan, but he didn’t want their past to get in the way of the present, this very moment.<br/><br/>Possibly their future, if Vlad continued to let things develop.<br/><br/>He’d just have to prove to Vlad that those feelings weren’t out of reach.<br/><br/>He kissed Vlad’s forehead, just as his mom had done to him. The little voice in the back of his head was screaming that he was only doing it to replace that image in Vlad’s head, should the man get any ideas or entertain residual feelings for his mother.<br/><br/>God, that was a can of worms he didn’t want to open.<br/><br/>Vlad still seemed surprised by the smallest affectionate gestures, and Danny was beginning to wonder if it was solely Vlad’s hang ups or if it was just because said gestures were coming from his ex-nemesis. Probably a mix of both, but he liked the wonderment that his touches brought to that face.<br/><br/>Danny heard his mother call him from downstairs and frowned, finding that he didn’t <em>want</em> to leave Vlad and spend the holiday without him. Vlad smirked, easily reading the expression.<br/><br/>“Go on. Have a merry Christmas, Little badger.” With a wink, Vlad simply faded from existence, displaying yet another means of teleportation, likely showing off.<br/><br/>Danny snorted, refusing to be impressed, even if Vlad wasn’t here to see it.<br/><br/>Vlad reappeared in front of his notes, duplicating himself and leaving his mess of books to be cleaned up by his copy. He really should get some rest before returning to the Fenton’s later. He wasn’t sure when he’d made up his mind about going, probably somewhere between the kisses and that put-out face Danny had made when he had to leave, but he had decided it wouldn't hurt to surprise the boy. Spending his time alone here for Christmas was looking less and less desirable anyway. </p><p>He passed the tapestry on his way to his room and his vision blurred, almost completely blinding him until he glared back up at the strange thing.<br/><br/>Was there some sort of spell on it? It wouldn’t be the first thing out of the Ghost Zone to be cursed or enchanted. His duplicate seemed just as affected, looking over the translation Danny provided in a trance. It rejoined him when he walked back over to the table, sitting where his other self had and looking at the ‘poem’ himself.<br/><br/><em> The kingdom waits, </em> <em><br/></em> <em> cold and empty as the last to rule </em> <em><br/></em> <em> Upon the throne will sit king of triumph over all<br/></em> <em> veiled in the shadows of restless souls </em> <em><br/></em> <em> enslaved by life as is chained to death </em> <em><br/></em> <em> He is mourned, a suffering beyond his years </em> <em><br/></em> <em> It is written in truth, </em> <em><br/></em> <em> The ever changing fate- </em> <em><br/></em> <em> That he who lives must die by his hand </em> <em><br/></em> <em> to reclaim both life and death as his own </em> <em><br/></em> <em> Preservation of peace or </em> <em><br/></em> <em> Destruction of worlds </em> <em><br/></em> <em> Savior of righteous punishment </em> <em><br/></em> <em> His paradox made void </em> <em><br/></em> <em> Only then shall each realm know rest </em> <em><br/></em> <em> And all will be as it should </em></p><p>He read it over, again and again. He understood it had something to do with Pariah, but that was all he knew for sure. Was this referring to his downfall? It was the only thing that made sense, but this seemed so much older than that- it had only been four years since Vlad released him. Was this about when he was first locked away by the ancients? That was over a thousand years ago, so how old was this? Who wrote it? The ancients? It was kind of pretentious to write a prophecy that you yourself planned to fulfill…<br/><br/>Vlad sighed, settling in to puzzle and decode the cryptic musings of ghosts long beyond the after-afterlife. He should have known he wouldn’t be getting any sleep.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Maddie flipped the egg she was frying a little too aggressively as her thoughts of the night before spun out of control. Her daughter was here, and while she was dying to tell Jack about what had happened to their boy, Maddie didn’t want to alarm her. Jazz wouldn’t believe her anyway, she’d call her crazy, and she’d certainly tell Danny.<br/><br/>She didn’t want Danny to be scared either, nor did she want to alert the ghost that she was onto its game, so she had to keep quiet.<br/><br/>Her eyes snapped to the side and followed Danny as he scuffed into the room and sat between his father and sister, a withdrawn look on his face. Was it in him right now? Was he aware in there, watching everything happen around him but unable to actually do anything or speak?<br/><br/>Was he in pain?<br/><br/>Jack said he’d been aware when the Plasmius ghost possessed him at the reunion, that he’d been able to fight it that time, unlike all the other times they’d been possessed in their years as hunters. Most of the time the host had no way to tell if they’d been taken over. In her own experience, she only ever knew when she ‘woke up’ in a weird place or couldn’t remember what was just happening. Jack had said the Plasmius ghost was different though, that he’d felt <em> everything</em>, a mind numbing, heart-aching hate that blazed in him, at him. He said it had reached inside him and grabbed something, and that it was horrendously <em> familiar</em>.<br/><br/>What kind of ghost was Plasmius that it could do that to a person, see into their soul and invoke such a response when it took over… What was its obsession? Why take over Jack? They <em> were </em> ghost hunters, but the attack seemed so personal...<br/><br/>It didn’t make sense then, and it didn’t now. He’d always been a menace to Amity Park in general, and he and that Phantom were always causing so much property damage with their fights. They liked to wreak havoc all over town, specifically in their neighborhood, and Vlad had to often pay for repairs as mayor, finding some way to maneuver the town budget to cover the costs, if not covering some of them himself. Was mayhem what Plasmius wanted? Had it followed them from Wisconsin just to incite chaos in their town?<br/><br/>Or maybe it was Phantom? He’d been there at Vlad’s mansion too… What did ghosts even fight about? Conflicting obsessions?<br/><br/>Ghosts feuded just as much as the living did, she’d learned that from experience. Far too many times she’d arrived on the scene of a spectacular dispute, that Phantom always several steps ahead of her…<br/><br/>Though he did appear to aid them in most cases…<br/><br/>“Mom?” She jumped out of her skin, nearly swinging the eggy spatula at her son’s head. When did he get there?<br/><br/>He was looking at her with an odd expression, slightly concerned. “You okay?” She nodded, wide eyes looking past him to see Jazz and Jack sharing Danny’s worried face, looking toward the stove.<br/><br/>The eggs. She was burning the eggs. How do you burn eggs?<br/><br/>“Are you sure you’re all good mom? Did you sleep last night?” She nodded again, a lie. She didn’t trust her voice. Plasmius was in her kitchen, in her son, probably feeding on his life force along with her obvious discomfort, playing with her like a cat to a mouse. Danny raised an eyebrow at the weird expression on her face, opening the refrigerator and grabbing the carton of orange juice before sending her one last look and returning to the table to pour himself a glass. She scraped the egg off of the skillet and into garbage, eyes unfocused as theories swirled in her head.<br/><br/>“Don’t worry about it, Mads, I’ll make pancakes!” She thanked heaven for Jack because the lack of sleep had truly done her nothing good and she didn’t trust herself not to burn the house down. <br/><br/>She’d stayed up all night in the lab, shifting from project to project, unable to keep focused on one task for very long before something else popped into her head. She felt this overwhelming need to prepare for anything and everything, because Plasmius wasn’t like the other entities they’d fought. He was sinister and calculated and sneaky, so their family <em> needed </em> to be fortified and ready for whatever that ghost was planning.</p><p>It started with testing the ectoplasm she’d found in Danny’s room, then making sure all of their weapons were charged and their shields were operational and by the end of it all she was nearly finished with another specter-deflector because she couldn’t keep her hands busy enough. It wasn’t large enough for Jack, he already had one anyway, so she would likely be giving this newer model to one of the kids to replace their older one, probably Danny considering his current predicament.<br/><br/>She risked a look over at her son when she sat down across from him, taking in his features as the glow of his phone illuminated his face while he played on it.<br/><br/>His dark circles were darker, as if he too was losing sleep, but that was common with possessions. She’d taken her flowers down to the lab, wanting to observe his behavior without agitating the ghost, should it be hiding in her son this very moment. It didn’t seem like it, and Danny’s current affect could easily be chalked up to the fact that he wasn’t a morning person, but what if that’s what Plasmius wanted her to think?<br/><br/>“How are <em> you </em> feeling, honey?” It was something she should have asked him more often. How long had this ghost been attached to Danny? He hadn’t even believed in them for the longest time, and she had this awful feeling that he had no idea why he might be feeling the way he was.<br/><br/>He gave her a thoughtful look, and she didn’t miss the brief eye contact he made with Jazz before her daughter went back to pretending she wasn’t paying attention to their conversation.<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes returned to his mother, “I’m… feeling better. Sorry for how I’ve been acting, I’m just dealing with a lot right now, you know? But I shouldn’t have been so crabby.” The corner of his mouth briefly stretched up as he lifted his shoulders in an apologetic shrug.<br/><br/>Jack twisted around, “Hey, don’t worry about it Danno, we’re just glad you’re okay.” But he wasn’t okay and she needed to tell Jack and-<br/><br/>The house phone rang and Maddie stiffly walked into the living room to pick it up, still reeling. “Hello?”<br/><br/>“Madeleine, Merry Christmas!” She blinked after a long moment, her sleep-deprived mind unable to formulate a response before Vlad moved on to fill the awkward silence. “Ahem, well, I was just calling to let you know that I will be taking you up on your offer, if it still stands of course.” Offer? Oh, right, she’d invited him over.<br/><br/>“Yes, of course!” She blurted before her brain could catch up with her. Vlad was pretty terrified of ghosts, so she felt bad inviting him over knowing that one was possessing her son. Was it safe? What if Plasmius made Danny lash out like Jack at the reunion?<br/><br/>Vlad sounded pleased. “Perfect! Do keep it a secret, though? I’d like to be a surprise.”<br/><br/>Maddie smiled slightly, knowing that it would at least make Jack’s Christmas. “That sounds great…” She was still nervous, but she didn’t want to be rude and turn him away, especially considering the headway she and Jack made in rekindling their relationship with the man. It had taken them far too long to reconnect, and she didn’t want to go through that loss again, and she didn’t think Jack could bear it honestly, so suddenly uninviting their old friend was out of the question.<br/><br/>She wouldn’t jeopardize their progress, and Vlad was likely still just as brilliant a scientist as he’d been in college, so perhaps he could actually be of help? If he could conquer his fear of course...<br/><br/>“See you soon then. Ta, dear.” He hung up and she dazedly pulled the phone from her ear, setting it back on the hook before returning to the table and having pancakes with her family. Danny eyed her for a minute after the call but otherwise kept to himself through breakfast. Jack’s excited babbling about their latest prototypes was the only thing keeping her from sinking into that chasm of ‘what if’s, but it didn’t distract her for very long.<br/><br/>What would she do if the ghost attacked? How could she protect her baby if that thing was <em> inside </em> her baby?<br/><br/>How was she going to get it out without hurting Danny? How deep were the ghost’s hooks in her son? She’d heard him talking to another voice in his room, so maybe it separated itself from him sometimes.<br/><br/>But then… Did that mean Danny knew? No. Danny would have fought the possession if he knew. He certainly wouldn’t <em> converse </em> with the entity hijacking his body.<br/><br/>Would he?<br/><br/>She glanced up at him again, unsure. Danny was a skittish boy, he always had been. Brave, but skittish. He knew ghosts were bad news, and she knew that he was smarter than he often seemed, so there was no way that he wouldn’t sense the danger of interacting with that evil apparition.<br/><br/>So what had she heard this morning?<br/><br/>It wasn’t a fight or a struggle for control, the voices had been too calm for that, comfortable even. Maybe Danny was trying to reason with it? There was no <em> reasoning </em> with ghosts, right?<br/><br/>It just didn’t make sense! Why wouldn’t her son tell her? Why wouldn’t he want her help if he knew what was happening to him?<br/><br/>Unless… The ghost’s hold was already too strong? Had it corrupted her boy? Turned him into a pliant, obedient vessel?<br/><br/>Was he even capable of being saved at this point?<br/><br/>A determined frown edged onto Maddie’s face. Of course he was, and if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter. She <em> would not </em> let that thing have her baby boy.<br/><br/>Danny looked up when he felt her eyes on him, the faintest frown appearing in response to the burning intensity in his mom’s gaze. She swallowed, putting on a brave face and the warmest smile she could muster. After a moment he returned the smile full force, and her heart beamed and broke at the same time. There was no way he knew. That beautiful innocence in his sweet blue eyes shone bright past the exhaustion in his face, past the unpleasant outbursts and the bitterly negative aura that he’d occasionally exuded as of late.<br/><br/>Even if he did know, even if the ghost was trying to change him, his eyes would always have that shine. No matter what that ghost did to him, he’d always be her boy, and there was nothing that Plasmius could do to him to negate that truth.<br/><br/>She’d save him, she’d find a way.<br/><br/>No ghost was strong enough to stop a mother.<br/><br/><br/></p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad spends Christmas with the Fentons. Of course it goes well.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey sorry I'm late I didn't wanna come<br/>Nah jk I was just reading through stuff tryna get my life together and figure out wtf is going on in this story man.</p><p>And oml I actually got some poor soul to beta this chapter.<br/>Thanks a million to SRjackson<br/>Fucking BLESS.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/>The morning passed in a blur, her gaze rarely leaving Danny as they ate and retired to the den to open presents. They were never super big on the holiday, what with their usual fighting, and they didn’t have a lot of money to throw around that wasn’t reserved for their work, so there wasn’t a lot. Gifts weren’t a huge deal since they were all adults now anyway, but they’d bought Jazz a new laptop for school, and Danny got the same, plus a new phone he was currently downloading music on to.<br/><br/>His was always getting destroyed, the klutz.<br/><br/>She’d managed to convince Jack not to start the Packers game yet, though she didn’t tell him why, so he and Danny were watching funny youtube videos while Jazz read on the other couch. Danny seemed fine, but she knew what she saw on the bed last night, she was still running tests on the ectoplasm in the lab, and all the evidence had been right under her nose for so long…<br/><br/>She still didn’t know what to do. She needed to talk to Jack, somehow talking to him calmed her down and helped her sort her thoughts. Besides, Danny was <em> their </em> son, not just hers, and Jack deserved to know and be a part of the plan of action for saving their boy.<br/><br/>He wasn’t acting as glum as he had been, nor as snappy, but he still felt very… closed off. After observing him all morning she’d deduced that he wasn’t currently under Plasmius’ control, but she was still wary. Nervous.<br/><br/>His hand suddenly snapped up to smother his mouth right as the doorbell rang and he immediately sprung up off the couch. “I’ll get it!” His father barely saved Danny’s new laptop from falling to the floor in his haste.<br/><br/>She looked after him with a frown, standing to peer just past the wall to see Danny absolutely grinning before he even had the door open. “What're you doing here, Fruit Loop?” She couldn’t remember ever hearing Danny sound so happy to see Vlad.<br/><br/>She heard the man’s smooth baritone from the porch. “I’ve come to surprise you all for Christmas, of course.” She heard her son snort, though seemingly in good nature.<br/><br/>“Oh, because the presence of Vlad Masters is a gift in itself?”<br/><br/>Vlad simply stepped inside, “Glad you see it that way too, Little Badger.” She quickly returned to the couch, smiling at Jack’s boisterous response when Vlad walked in.<br/><br/>“V-man!” Her husband’s smile was blinding as he got up and pulled Vlad into a bone-crushing hug that left the man wheezing in his hold.<br/><br/>“Jack, release me right now. Please.” He looked sheepish upon receiving Vlad’s weary glare, but the smallest quirk of the billionaire's lip softened the look.<br/><br/>She felt a rush of nostalgia wash over her and she placed a hand on her chest, momentarily forgetting her earlier concerns about Danny until he returned to her line of sight, his eyes fixed on Vlad’s every move. He was almost hovering, especially when Vlad kissed her hand, but that wasn’t too out of the ordinary she supposed.<br/><br/>Vlad and Jazz shared a cordial nod but said little else in greeting, while the look he and Danny shared was much more mysterious. It likely had something to do with what they talked about last night, Danny’s breakup and all that, and she cringed.<br/><br/>How would Vlad feel if he knew he’d been alone in the room with Danny when he was possessed by one of the most dangerous ghosts they knew of?<br/><br/>She didn’t want to think about it.<br/><br/>She watched her son carefully, not just feeling guilty for putting Vlad in that position, but also for worrying that Danny would do something to him. Well, not their Danny. Plasmius might make an appearance through her boy again, because suddenly she was feeling that strange air around him once more...<br/><br/>She watched her son pensively, mentally taking note of all the subtle changes.<br/><br/>Danny was looking Vlad up and down, taking in his flattering outfit. Did that vest-thing look a little tight? His pants hugged his ass really well too… God was he just openly staring at Vlad's ass? Did Vlad wear that on purpose? It made Danny want to change into one of the new outfits his aunt sent him, just so Vlad might admire him the same way.<br/><br/>But it looked like Vlad <em> was </em> admiring him, despite him wearing the same clothes from yesterday. God, he should have showered or something. He didn’t smell or anything, but he wanted Vlad all over him again, and it seemed as though Vlad could tell, judging by the smirk on his face. </p><p>He was caught up in thinking about their kisses this morning, those low humming sounds Vlad had made in his throat, the feeling of Vlad's mouth on his neck without the sharp sting of a bite to follow. He wanted to feel Vlad give into him again.<br/><br/>They were left in the living room with Jazz when his parents went out back, saying something about making smores and hot links, but he wasn’t paying them any mind, too stuck in their little face-off.<br/><br/>He heard his sister huff. “If you two are going to gaze into each other's eyes all day then I’m out of here.” It seemed like they needed to talk, and she didn’t want to be present for whatever conversation warranted <em> those </em> looks being exchanged. She could only hope it was ghost related, though she had her suspicions...<br/><br/>They both jerked back into reality, not realizing they’d been staring quite so hard. Vlad smirked but Danny was cringing internally. Why couldn’t he just act normal? It’s just Vlad.<br/><br/>An entirely different side of Vlad, but still the same Fruit Loop he’d known for over four years now, so there was no reason for him to feel this nervous.<br/><br/>The two halfas sat on the couch, Danny pulling the game up for his father so they could start it as soon as he came back. He knew how much Vlad loved football…<br/><br/>Ugh, he was acting like a girl… A weird girl.</p><p>Vlad raised a brow at how close he was sitting but didn't try to move away, so Danny counted it as yet another step in the right direction.</p><p>Operation: Romance Vlad Masters was a go.</p><p>"How are you feeling, Little Badger?" Danny blinked out of his musings.</p><p>"Huh?"<br/><br/>"The spirits." He elaborated. </p><p>"Oh, uh," Danny shrugged, "My headache is mostly gone, comes and goes. Just a little nauseous still, but that could have been the pancakes I ate."</p><p>Vlad placed a hand just above his knee and squeezed. "That's good, I was sure you’d be dead on your feet…" </p><p>There was a short silence where Danny just stared at the hand on his leg. He marveled at how freely Vlad was touching him. He wanted so badly to make some pun about already being dead on his feet but he couldn’t get his mouth to move.<br/><br/>Should he bring up the kisses? Should they talk about it?</p><p>He was kind of freaking out internally, as he had been since the man left. They hadn't said anything about last night, but then he got Vlad to kiss him again this morning… But it had been in exchange for reading those weird ghost words, and Vlad had said something about him being an opportunist… Did he see this morning as something like a trade? A business exchange? </p><p>He almost didn't want to know. </p><p>Danny blurted the first random, non-awkward thing he could think of. "Did you figure out what that curtain was all about?" Maybe that was a safer topic to broach for now.</p><p>Vlad snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's called a <em> tapestry</em>, Daniel, and no, I've been puzzling over its meaning all morning. It has something to do with Pariah Dark, but it doesn't make very much sense…"</p><p>"I read it off to you perfectly, I swear. Maybe your senile brain is too far gone to figure it out, old man." The hand on his thigh squeezed painfully, bordering unpleasant.</p><p>"<em>Maybe </em> we need to start your 'training' early and this old man can break your teeth?" Vlad's tone was dripping venom, but for some reason it made him smile.<br/><br/>The baleful banter reminded him of back in the day, and while he preferred this Vlad, the memories evoked an almost… <em> fondly </em> hateful feeling. He didn’t know how to describe it, nor did he feel like analyzing it, but he couldn’t deny that it was strangely thrilling. It was like they were about to fight, and it lacked that fear factor the thought had once carried.</p><p>He was going to respond with a threat in kind but stopped short when they both realized they were no longer alone.</p><p>Maddie crept as quietly as physically possible, which with her training was very nearly silent, but she froze when Danny and Vlad's heads snapped back to catch her mid-step. Simultaneously.<br/><br/>She’d been eavesdropping, or trying to, partly curious about what the two talked about when they were together (not like they had much in common) but the other part was just keeping an eye on Danny.<br/><br/>How had they heard her? The air around them was almost ominous, and Vlad's voice…</p><p>She hadn’t heard what they were saying, but she'd never heard him speak that way before, so… menacingly. She knew Vlad wasn't actually as personable as he made himself out to be to the public, but something about that voice seemed off. Familiar.</p><p>She chastised herself for being so silly. <em> Of course it's familiar, Maddie, it's Vlad's! </em></p><p>Still, the fact that he sounded so threatening as he talked to her son…</p><p>But Danny looked fine. In fact, he'd been smiling before he looked back to stare at her. Something about the energy of the room was off, she could feel it again. </p><p>She looked at Danny, searching for some sort of sign. That was what she hated most about possessions, there was no way to know from the outside other than the host’s strange behavior, so all she could do was look for abnormalities and essentially make a case before taking any drastic measures. Jack had insisted she do just that when she’d told him earlier, though he didn’t seem to take her suspicions to heart at first.<br/><br/>‘<em>Oh, I’d know if there was a ghost in my boy!’ </em> He’d said. Well, she would know too, and she did.<br/><br/>She explained to him all of the signs, the things she’d seen and heard, and she’d expected him to race into the house, guns blazing, but after the initial shock that wasn’t how he reacted at all.<br/><br/>Jack sobered, taking it all very seriously as he considered his wife, and for once he wanted to watch and wait, to gather more evidence while they worked on finding a way to extract the demonic ghost from their baby boy.<br/><br/>She wanted to start the extraction part right away, but Jack was right. It would be best to covertly observe before taking any action, continue testing with their equipment and keep on the lookout for any signs of the malevolent spirit manifesting in their son again. Jack was usually more reckless, but he didn’t want to act prematurely and accidently harm Danny with something at this level, as possessions were serious business, so he was taking a more careful approach for once.<br/><br/>They couldn’t let anything happen to their baby.<br/><br/>“Ah, Madeleine, did you need any help out there?” She withheld a frown at the shift in Vlad's tone. It was that fake voice he used sometimes, a noticeable change from how he’d been speaking not ten seconds earlier. She saw Danny eyeing him oddly too, and he almost looked irritated.<br/><br/>“Um, no, just came to tell you the food is done! Jack’s bringing it in-”<br/><br/>“Right now, Vladdy! Watch it, comin’ in hot!” Jack sat down two tins, one with the links and a smaller one with fixins for smores. “Those are better straight out the fire, so the grill’s still going out there if ya want any!”<br/><br/>He put his hands on his hips before plopping down on Vlad’s other side. “Alright! This is all I could've asked for! Me, my boy and my best friend enjoyin’ a game!” Jack reached around Vlad to tousle Danny’s hair.<br/><br/>Danny quickly attempted to tame it again, glancing up at Vlad with an embarrassed blush.<br/><br/>Vlad was trying to relax, feeling claustrophobic squished between the two Fenton men on their small couch. Danny seemed to sense it, moving just a bit further from him in response to his obvious discomfort. “Let’s just start the game, Dad.”<br/><br/>The game did help ease his nerves, and he found he wasn’t bothered in the slightest when Danny seemed to move closer to him again. In fact, he stretched an arm over the back of the couch, smirking when Danny’s face turned completely red and the boy audibly gulped, eyes not moving from the screen despite an obvious disinterest. Vlad grinned, camouflaging it as a response to the other team’s penalty.<br/><br/>In reality it just felt good being near Danny. There was this immensely pleased feeling that emanated from his core any time they accidentally touched, and while he was normally completely enthralled by a Packers game he found himself thoroughly distracted by the feeling of Danny’s thigh pressed against his.<br/><br/>He’d only decided to give in to these feelings just last night and they were already practically drowning him, bringing damnable butterflies with the littlest of touches.<br/><br/>It was like Danny’s schoolboy crush on him was mixing with Vlad’s obsessive mannerisms, creating a loop of self-validating, if unhealthy infatuation between them, feeding off of the other person’s energy and the lingering emotions there. Did he feel this way because Danny felt this way? Did Danny like him so much because he was influenced by Vlad’s obsessive behaviors?<br/><br/>He shook his head. It didn’t matter. He had said he’d ride this out and take what he could. Who cares where it stemmed from or what was feeding it? This connection to Daniel felt good, it was growing rather quickly, and he liked that it was growing, and that was all that was really relevant.<br/><br/>He noticed Maddie eyeing them, or rather Danny, and felt a bit self conscious with their posture. He sneakily removed his arm, flinching when Jack jumped up with a sharp yell.<br/><br/>“OH YEAH! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Vlad blinked rapidly, actually focusing his eyes on the screen. He’d completely missed a touchdown and now it was halftime. Vlad stared at the television, somewhat gobsmacked. He’d never been so inattentive to the Packers in his <em> life</em>.<br/><br/>Daniel really had a hold on him. </p><p>“Do you guys want something to drink? I was gonna grab a soda.”<br/><br/>“Grab a beer instead, Danno! We didn’t crack them open yesterday!” Jack wanted Danny to drink? With them? The thought of Daniel possibly intoxicated again after what it led to last night, in front of his parents… </p><p>Good lord did he want to ask if they had any of the scotch left, but he refrained.<br/><br/>Danny looked green himself, and it had little to do with his ectoplasmic DNA. “Uh, as awesome as that sounds, I’ll have to pass. I’m not feeling too good.” He’d probably had his fill of 'alcohol' after last night.<br/><br/>Jack gave him an oddly serious look, almost contemplative as he sent Maddie a silent message with his eyes that Vlad couldn’t decipher. It didn't seem like the most appropriate response to something as inconsequential as a little belly ache. He used to be able to read them like a book, but time apart had diminished that skill.<br/><br/>“You alright, Danny-boy?” Jack’s tone was skeptical, though Vlad couldn’t imagine why. How could the man possibly know about the party last night? Perhaps he was just concerned…<br/><br/>“Yeah, just feeling a little weird is all, no big deal.” And he took to his task, returning shortly with a ginger ale and two beers while Jack started the second half of the game, much more subdued this time, absently shoveling down the hot links. Nervous eating.<br/><br/>He returned to his normal affect after a while, hooting and cheering every now and then, but Vlad could see the tension in his shoulders and the meaningful glances back and forth from his wife and son. Maddie was oddly quiet too, though she’d never been as big a fan as them, so it wasn't <em> that </em> odd...<br/><br/>But her eyes hadn’t left Danny once.</p><p>Did they suspect something? About Daniel? Him? Them? They definitely had more than one thing to hide now...<br/><br/>He forced himself to ignore it for the time being, focusing his attention to the game and trying to enjoy it as he normally did. As it came to a close the teams were neck and neck, but the Packers won with a field goal in the end and the three of them joyously leapt up from the couch to cheer.<br/><br/>Vlad grinned victoriously, wrapping his arms around Danny and lifting him off his feet in a very Jack-like fashion. Danny blushed as he took in the rare sight of Vlad smiling for something other than someone else's suffering, but for sheer joy and excitement. It was refreshing and just a little breathtaking.</p><p>It was also weird having Vlad touch him in front of his parents outside of a familial tousling of his hair or pat on the shoulder, but it wasn't like they knew how Danny felt about the man nowadays so he let himself revel in being held despite their staring. Luckily they weren't staring because of Danny's behavior. His dad slapped a hand on Vlad's back and Danny was dropped to his feet again. </p><p>Jack looked surprised, if not alarmed that Vlad could even lift Danny, as his suits typically hid his build quite well. "Woah, you been working out V-man?" Danny wasn't as shrimpy as he'd been a few years ago, and he was only a couple inches from matching Vlad's height, but it looked like Vlad had lifted him quite easily</p><p>"Exercise is vital, especially at our age Jack. It does wonders for the body."</p><p>Despite the casual air Vlad sounded mildly offended, and Jack shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. Vlad had been scrawny in college, and sometimes Jack still thought of him that way, still being so much larger than his friend.<br/><br/>"I guess I just didn't- well, ha, you look good for your age anyway." It sounded like a pitiful save, and Vlad didn't deign to respond with more than the lift of his brow.</p><p>Maddie tried to come to her husband's rescue when she saw his miserably awkward expression, knowing the last thing he wanted was to be on Vlad’s bad side again when he was finally coming around. "It's true, you do. And whatever you're doing for your skin is <em> working</em>. Share your secrets!"<br/><br/>It was hard to tell sometimes with the white hair and dark sleepy circles under his eyes, but Vlad looked quite a bit younger than them in the face, which was funny since they were all born in the same year. Really funny, or rather strange, when one also considered the severity of the damage that had been dealt to his face.<br/><br/>She stepped closer, inspecting the lines above his brow with growing interest. "You didn't scar at all from the ecto-acne."</p><p>The shift in mood was immediate, and she actually stepped back, suddenly feeling like Jack had only moments ago, foot fully lodged in her mouth.<br/><br/>Even Jazz suddenly looked up from her book, her eyes sharp and watchful while Danny's eyes were even more intense as he fixed Maddie with his stare, a look that screamed 'did you just?', but her husband had missed the cue since no one was looking at him for once, and he was none the wiser to the increased tension. </p><p>Jack slapped a hand on Vlad’s back, making Danny flinch across the room and inhale sharply through his nose. “I guess that’s what it’s like having access to the best medical treatments money can buy!”</p><p>Danny and Jazz watched Vlad’s knuckles turn white as he gripped the arm of the couch. Dread welled in Danny’s icy core. "I'll remind you that my fortune was made <em>long</em> <em>after</em> my disastrous <em>accident.</em>" There was a bitter snap to his voice that created an eerie silence as he began to fume.</p><p>It had been the copious medical bills and college debt that had inspired him to become the accomplished thief he was in the first place. It was only after those debts were paid had he become ‘successful’, overshadowing competitors while carefully investing and hiding his spoils within his various businesses. But only after.<br/><br/>Those few years in the hospital were the longest of his life, and money had <em> not </em>been a luxury of his in his time there.</p><p>The fact that Jack seemed to think his present net worth made up for the years of pain and trauma was… infuriating. Simple minded. Even if he didn't know the full extent of what had happened.<br/><br/>Sure, the suffering all alone part had been entirely on Vlad, he couldn't blame the Fentons when he'd been the one to push them away, but he could still hate them for the accident, obviously. He could still feel it when he looked back on that time, even with Danny's influence within him, and that part of him that archived every little slight against him would <em> never </em> forget what Jack had done to him.<br/><br/>Danny could <em> feel </em> the hot fury emanating from Vlad's core and abruptly stood, “Who wants those smores? Let’s make smores. Dad?” They’d probably melt on their own if they were any closer to Vlad right now.<br/><br/>His father followed him into the kitchen with a frown. He just needed to get his dad out of there, sure that Vlad would decapitate the man if he said another word. </p><p>Jazz picked up the slack and changed the subject to Vlad’s most recent business acquisition, effectively distracting the man from his anger, a distraction for which he was profoundly thankful. He knew what Jasmine was doing, and he was quite surprised that she would bother to help him out of this annoying situation.<br/><br/>Sure, it was likely more for her brother’s sake, but Vlad appreciated it nonetheless.<br/><br/>They were talking about his more underhanded ventures when Danny and Jack came back with a few delicately charred smores, Danny noticing his mother now a fair bit closer to the man. It made Danny’s blood boil for a moment, especially when he noticed how comfortable Vlad looked with it. Too comfortable.<br/><br/>He grumbled as he took his seat next to his sister once more, the ones next to Vlad taken up by his parents.<br/><br/>“So you basically tricked Axion into signing company ownership over to you?” Jazz’s tone was accusing, and Vlad absently wondered if Danny got all of that do-gooder nonsense from her.<br/><br/>“Oh Jazz, he’s just a good businessman. I highly doubt the Vlad I know would ever do something so sneaky.” She was being facetious of course, but Danny took it at face value in his waspish state, snorting at his mother’s blind defense with his eyes glued to the small sliver of space between them.<br/><br/>“Well then he's obviously not the Vlad you used to know.” It was supposed to be under his breath, but they'd all heard him. When he said it out loud he realized how out of line it sounded, especially with the warning look the other halfa sent him.<br/><br/>Danny shrugged. “I just mean, people change is all…” Vlad's look intensified, but with a touch of confusion in the mix.<br/><br/>Maddie frowned but eventually nodded, feeling that air around Danny again and not wanting to incite another off-the-wall mood swing. “Yeah, I guess so. Our Vladdy has changed quite a bit.”<br/><br/>“He’s not <em> your- </em> ” His jaw snapped shut at the sharp <em> “Daniel. </em> " from Vlad.<br/><br/>Another silence followed. What was that? <br/><br/>Why did his mother saying ‘our Vlad’ annoy him so much. It wasn’t like the older halfa belonged to him or anything. His parents knew Vlad long before he did.</p><p>But not <em> this </em> Vlad.</p><p>Their silence stretched on, and this time it was Jack to break it, blathering on about their studies back in the day, along with all of their new technology now. Vlad wasn’t paying him much mind anymore, momentarily forgetting his earlier fury in favor of trying to make sense of how Danny was behaving, thoroughly distracted by the boy yet again.<br/><br/>He seemed testy every time one of his parents got too close or personal, especially his mother. If he didn’t know any better… Was Danny jealous? Of his own parents?<br/><br/>He didn’t seem like that kind of person, but Vlad knew that he himself was the type to be more… possessive, so perhaps that too was manifesting within Daniel, yet another shared influence between them. A deviously pleased smile crept across his face. Strangely he discovered that he kind of <em> liked </em> seeing his own traits exhibited by Daniel, especially this one.<br/><br/>He found it quite flattering, despite knowing it was remarkably unhealthy, as he himself was. Perhaps part of it was wanting someone to love him as deeply as he loved them, to love him the way he loved. No one had ever wanted him all for their own before.<br/><br/>“... shot right through the damn thing! You really should come downstairs to see it!” Vlad flinched as Jack tried to pull him up from the couch by the arm.<br/><br/>“Sorry, what was that old friend?” He’d been lost in thought, trying to think of more ways to make Danny jealous.<br/><br/>Jack wasn’t discouraged in the least. “I said let’s go down to the lab! We actually wanted to talk to you about something else ghost related.” We? He glanced at Maddie and noticed her biting her lip.<br/><br/>Danny was giving him a wary look, almost like he still didn’t trust Vlad in his parent’s lab. As if they had anything he wanted at this point?<br/><br/>“Ah, no thanks, Jack. I make it a point to stay away from any of your prototypes.” An unnecessary dig, but one that made him feel good when Jack looked guilty. "I don't set foot in any lab unless absolutely necessary, especially not a ghost lab, thank you."<br/><br/>Maddie watched Danny relax when Vlad refused. Her son was quite stingy for his godfather’s attention, and he hadn’t had that strange attitude before the man showed up. She hadn’t noticed the temperature drop a second ago until it began warming again just now…<br/><br/>What was going on?<br/><br/>The look in her son’s eyes was not his own, and she had this horrible feeling that it had something to do with the possession, that the Plasmius ghost was in the room with them right now.<br/><br/>Her thoughts from this morning came rolling back in. Why would it possess her son? If it was about targeting them, why not just attack? Then again, that Phantom was usually warding him off… While she was sure his heroism was an act, he did tend to keep Plasmius away from them.<br/><br/>Maybe it really <em> was </em> because they were ghost hunters? But the ghost hadn’t really tried anything since possessing Danny. In fact, the possession was doing nothing but putting even more distance between them, so if it wasn’t about them, then why?<br/><br/>“Aw, V-man, c’mon! We miss having you as a lab partner, we all worked so well together. You had a real talent!”<br/><br/>Part of Vlad wanted to actually agree and go down there with them strangely enough, even if just to see how Danny would react, but it was frantically stamped down.<br/><br/>When they weren't poking at old wounds and bringing up the past he could almost pretend things were how they'd been before the accident, and he wanted that feeling. It was a tug of war between his imperishable grudge and his undeniable need for their acceptance and friendship, and the feeling of being split in two by his conflicting emotions again was enough to make his head spin. </p><p>It had to have something to do with the exchange. Perhaps he’d ‘inherited’ Danny’s inextinguishable fondness for them, his desperate need for their approval. He hadn’t needed it before, back when his hate for Jack was so black and all-consuming that it clouded and skewed all of the good times they'd shared together. Very good times.</p><p>But it would never be like that again. It couldn’t.<br/><br/>Too much had changed.<br/><br/>"Even so, I will have to pass, Jack." His tone was as patient as was physically possible for him in that moment, but Jack wouldn't relent.</p><p>"Come on, you were so good at what you did- a genius! And you loved it! I couldn't stay out of a lab if I tried, why stop altogether?" For once, as soon as it was out of his mouth Jack knew he'd messed up. His jaw snapped shut at the incensed sneer Vlad sent his way.</p><p>"I think you know why, <em> Jack Fenton</em>." The growl in his voice wasn't something he could suppress in that moment. That fiery rage was bubbling in his core all over again, and he didn't think any subject change was going to pull him out of it this time.<br/><br/>It felt like when he was starving. Part of him was present, but another part was firmly planted in the past, wallowing about in the hate and sorrow of that point in his life. Plasmius once again seemed to separate from his normal consciousness and he was trying to reign in the impending emotional outburst that his bumbling old friend just kept <em> pushing. </em></p><p>Jack was such a goddamn idiot. </p><p>To his credit, the man did look sorry, almost miserably so when Vlad alluded to the accident. "Vladdy, I-" </p><p>"Can we just fucking drop this conversation?" Danny couldn't bear it anymore, and everyone in the room set their wide eyes upon him at the expletive. "Just leave him alone. He clearly doesn't want to talk about it, so-" Danny stopped upon feeling Jazz's hand gently rest upon his shoulder.<br/><br/>“Danny…” He took a deep breath, looking up at his sister apologetically. “I think they might actually <em> need </em> to talk about this.” He opened his mouth to object, to call her crazy for even suggesting it before she carefully added, “Parts of it.”<br/><br/>Maddie set her painfully confused gaze on her daughter, astonished at her ability to calm Danny so easily. The air around them was cold and thick again, but Danny wasn’t glaring anymore at least. Instead they were doing that sibling thing where they communicated with facial expressions and vague gestures alone, Danny’s pleading and almost scared while Jazz’s stayed calm and reassuring.<br/><br/>Jack had told their children parts of the proto-portal story, and they’d been there when Vlad’s ecto-acne came back and infected Danny’s friends, but the confidence Jazz spoke with implied a more intimate knowledge of the incident, Danny’s reaction even more so. All she could think was that maybe Vlad had divulged that information to Danny at some point, perhaps even last night…<br/><br/>And yet, he hadn’t once tried to discuss that time with <em> them</em>. Was it too painful? It was obviously still a tender spot, one that they’d all danced around for years… The three of them were grown adults, and it had happened when they were kids, but Vlad still seemed so bitter, and he clearly wasn’t over it. She and Jack weren’t, especially Jack. Would today finally be the day that they addressed this?<br/><br/>Vlad didn’t seem to think so. “This isn’t one of your psych class projects, Jasmine, and some things don’t make sense in <em> parts</em>.” He spat it out, blatantly disgusted by the mere suggestion of talking about this point in their lives.<br/><br/>Jack had remained silent, staring up at their old friend with what was quite possibly the saddest look she’d ever seen. Jack would do whatever Vlad wanted, whether it was talk about it or forget it ever happened, but Vlad wouldn’t do either of those things. He didn’t want to get past it. It made her angry.<br/><br/>“Vlad Masters, we just want to understand! You shut us out when we wanted to be there back then, and you’re trying to do it again! Jazz is right, I think it’s about time we at least talk about it.” She pursed her lips at the unrestrained glare but pushed on. “We missed you, Vladdy. We’re sorry, and-”<br/><br/>“Sorry for what?! What is it you want me to say, Madeleine? That it’s <em> fine?</em>” He couldn’t do this. Not without blowing up. Vlad could see that Danny was torn between defending him and protecting Maddie from his imminent wrath, and his instincts weren’t far off. What irritated him the most was probably the composed and collected expression on Jasmine’s face as she simply observed them all, like she was some sort of professional taking notes.<br/><br/>She wasn’t even out of school yet, what made her think she was equipped to unpack something as complicated as his relationship with her parents?<br/><br/>But she wasn’t attempting to guide the conversation like a fully fledged psychiatrist might. Jazz seemed to be leaving it up to them, simply suggesting they delve into it and putting the idea in their head, then backing off to watch the fireworks. Little wench. She had to be getting back at him for something, because how was he supposed to address <em> any </em> of this without his halfa status coming out. Didn’t she realize that this might endanger her brother as well? She'd <em> just </em> saved him from this volatile conversation not fifteen minutes ago, and now she wanted them to talk? What could she possibly gain from this?<br/><br/>Jack spoke for the first time since being snapped at, his voice softer than Vlad had ever heard it. “You know, I thought you died.” There was an empty huff of a laugh, and Jack’s eyes were stuck to the floor as he recounted his thoughts from all those years ago.<br/><br/>“I thought we lost ya, and the school was covering it up or something, like some crazy government conspiracy to avoid losing funding. For the longest I thought, ‘Vladdy wouldn’t turn us away, something is wrong here’, but…” He trailed off.  Was this what Jasmine wanted? Some sort of catharsis for her parents?<br/><br/>Vlad could feel Danny’s eyes on him, waiting for some sort of reaction from him, but he couldn’t meet his gaze. It was uncomfortable, having two very separate yet very intertwined parts of his life, his past and his present, being forced together out in the open. He was feeling so very vulnerable again, almost backed into a corner, and he felt himself begin to lose control of his temper as he failed to withhold a growl.<br/><br/>“Something <em> was </em> wrong, Jack. Everything was wrong.” His fists clenched and unclenched as Jack finally looked him in the eye, sniveling as though <em> he’d </em> been disfigured and half-murdered. The rehearsed words for his grand reveal that he’d planned for years completely abandoned him under the circumstances, and he began to shake as he at long last divulged at least part of his ordeal to the very ones who made him this way.<br/><br/>“I rotted in that hospital. You <em> ruined </em> me, not just my life, but <em> me</em>. All of me." He tried to keep his voice from shaking.<br/><br/>"I was hideous. There was nothing they could do for the pain, of course- <em> God</em>, everything inside and out <em> burned </em> and I ached to my very co-... core.” He choked on the word, so used to associating it with his ghostliness that saying it as Vlad Masters almost felt like a slip up, and the lump in his throat wasn’t helping matters. It was painful to go back to that time in his life, and every time he did he could feel it all over again.<br/><br/>This wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he’d imagined it would be. Back at the reunion he’d wanted to tell them right away, to lock his mansion doors behind them and go Plasmius and <em> force </em> them to behold what they’d done, what they’d created.<br/><br/>He’d never planned on sharing <em> this</em>. “No one, not even the government appointed doctors, would come into my room, and I didn’t want to be seen anyway. It just kept getting worse. For the longest time I <em> wished </em> I had died.” And then he had, eventually.<br/><br/>But he was quite sure that dying wasn’t one of the parts young Jasmine had in mind when she proposed they ‘talk it out’, so he decided to leave it out.<br/><br/>Jack looked as if Vlad had slapped him across the face, and Maddie was doing her very best to hold back her tears, a gloved hand cupped over her mouth. She’d known it had been bad considering how long he’d held it against them, but to hear his usually steady voice waver as he confessed just how excruciating and miserable the ordeal had been… It broke her heart, and she knew it was breaking Jack’s.<br/><br/>“Vlad, we’re just... so sorry…” What else could she <em> say?</em><br/><br/>Jack reached out too, aiming to place a hand on his shoulder but retracting it upon receiving his murderous glare. “Vladdy, we would have come to see you. We would have lived in that room with you, if you had just let us in…”<br/><br/>There was that disgusting urge to ease the man’s pain, to forgive him or at least pretend to, but Vlad knew that those emotions <em> weren’t all his</em>, and he smothered them and buried them in his long standing hate. But something kept seeping through the cracks. His lip quivered and he gnashed his teeth, forcing the emotions back down.<br/><br/>For once, Daniel had nothing to do with this, so Vlad wasn’t going to let the boy’s energy try to make light of anything or break him in front of them, nor would he let it dilute the hate that he had every right to feel.<br/><br/>“Just… Why shut us out? You were my best friend- our best friend.” Jack’s voice pierced through his focus again and he squeezed his eyes closed and then open, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.<br/><br/>Jack’s words only split him further. He wanted that friendship, he missed it, like he missed being around them, but every time he thought back to that hospital room he felt like a volcano about to erupt. He couldn’t lose it here. He could feel his core overheating, and he watched a bead of sweat drip from Jack’s forehead in the dead of winter.<br/><br/>He wasn’t in control.</p><p>If he stayed here much longer he'd be toeing a very dangerous line.</p><p>“I was angry, and to be perfectly honest, to this very day, I still am.” He stood abruptly, sending Jasmine a cold glare before his stare rested on Danny. His blue eyes were pleading but Vlad couldn’t tell what for.<br/><br/>He couldn’t do this.<br/><br/>He couldn’t risk them finding out.<br/><br/>It had been plausible four years ago. Invite the Fentons to the castle, show them what they’d done to him, make Jack pay and take Maddie as his prize. He hadn’t planned on the brats being such a nuisance but they were disposable, or they had been before he found out Daniel was a half ghost as well. Before he found out there was someone just like him.<br/><br/>He remembered being so thrilled, wanting to share everything he knew and take the Fentons’ youngest for his own. He’d be the teacher they never could, show him things they couldn’t even fathom. He wanted to pour his heart and soul into the young halfa.<br/><br/>Danny was right, he truly had fixated on the boy way before all of this. He felt like a fool for not seeing it earlier. But while his focus had shifted from Jack and Maddie a long time ago, that didn’t mean his old obsession had just evaporated. Was it as strong and definite as he'd once believed? No, obviously not, otherwise Daniel's existence wouldn't have thrown him so off course and ruined his initial plans.<br/><br/>He wasn't something Vlad had anticipated.</p><p>Danny’s presence in his life just made his glorious reveal impossible now. He couldn’t show them his ghost half without potentially exposing Danny too, and he didn’t know when, maybe ever since he’d discovered the boy, but that had taken precedence over making the Fentons face Plasmius.<br/><br/>And now with the unexpected turn his life was taking, with Daniel, with them welcoming him back into their lives after everything, he <em> never </em> wanted them to know about Plasmius, so he couldn’t be here. He couldn't risk it.<br/><br/>He tore his gaze from Danny’s, ignoring the pull at his core and stiffly adjusting his vest before buttoning his jacket. “Thank you for inviting me, but I think it’s high time I take my leave. Merry Christmas.”<br/><br/>Vlad moved for the door but didn’t get far before Maddie reached for him, her deceptively dainty hands gripping the crook of his elbow. “Vlad, please, let’s talk about this-” He yanked his arm from her grasp.<br/><br/>“I am done talking for the day. Have a lovely evening.” He knew she could feel the tremors, that was the only reason she let him go.<br/><br/>A deeper whisper of a voice rang out. “Vladdy, I’m so sorry…” He couldn’t look back at Jack, not without setting something on fire, so he simply continued forward towards the front door. He hastily made his exit, careful not to touch anything flammable on his way out because he could feel his energy leaking out of his very pores and he <em> couldn’t get a fucking grip</em>.</p><p>How dare they make him feel like this, make him relive it in front of them?<br/><br/>He slammed their front door a little harder than necessary and quickly made his way down the steps, barely reaching the bottom before the door was wrenched open by none other than the boy who had complicated his already complex life beyond all reason.<br/><br/>“Vlad…” He was going to snap, he just knew it. Could this family not see that he was at the end of his rope? That he was <em> this </em> close? Danny could take it, he’d bore the brunt of Vlad’s fury before, and he was itching to take it out on someone, so he was just waiting for the boy to try him. His core felt like a dying sun, solar flares of crippling, deep-seated emotions lashing out as he tried to contain it all. He wasn’t in the proper mental state to <em> not </em> hurt someone, and Daniel had come to poke at him.<br/><br/>Instead of Danny saying something stupid or apologizing for them, which would have surely set him off, Vlad found himself in a cool embrace. He raised his hand to pull the boy off of him, perhaps punch the boy off, but he paused, feeling his raging core calm. It was slow and steady, like an ice cube melting, but the very opposite. His arm lowered until his hand rested atop Danny’s head and threaded through his thick unruly hair. He didn’t know what Danny was doing to him, or even if he was doing it on purpose, but it was working. He felt the icy core vibrate against him and he shivered as the cold penetrated his own fiery one.<br/><br/>Danny rested his chin on Vlad’s shoulder as the man's tension slowly ebbed away. “I’m sorry you had to do that. Jazz… didn’t know it was like that. Neither did I…” Vlad swallowed, his eyes flitting to the window where he saw three sets of eyes watching them.<br/><br/>“Daniel, they can see us…” He didn’t know what else to say, and he <em> didn’t </em> want to talk about this right now...<br/><br/>Danny squeezed tighter. “I’m just hugging my uncle Vlad. Nothing wrong with that. Feels like you need it.” He definitely did, but not if they had an audience, and definitely not when he wanted to embrace Daniel back so badly.<br/><br/>Vlad hesitated before ruffling Danny’s hair like an actual uncle might and stepping back, relieved to find their window watchers gone from their perches after being spotted. He didn't see Jack or Maddie having the tact, so Jasmine had likely pulled them away, meaning she probably understood the full nature of their relationship.<br/><br/>He would really need to have a talk with Daniel about privacy…<br/><br/>He flinched when he felt soft lips on his jaw, then another kiss to his cheek. Vlad pulled away, his eyes not meeting the icy blue ones trained on his face.<br/><br/>“I think… I need a bit of time to myself.” He didn’t need to see Danny’s face to know that he was hurt. The way he slumped and his hands fell down Vlad’s back and rested at his waist dejectedly was enough.<br/><br/>Hands bunched into his jacket and Danny's voice strained. “No, Vlad, that’s probably the worst thing you could do right now. I don't want you to flip out or hurt someone, we both know you would. We can talk about this if you need to, just-”<br/><br/>“<em>Daniel! </em> ” They both clamped their jaws shut when Vlad finally snapped, his voice harsh and loud and angrier than even he himself expected.<br/><br/>He took another breath, the air around Danny being cold and soothing as it entered his body. “I need to think. Just give me some time to think.” <em> Please</em>. He couldn’t deal with all of this right now, and he couldn’t be near the Fentons any longer.<br/><br/>He didn’t have to say it out loud for Danny to realize he was practically begging, something that was very un-Vlad-like. Danny stepped back, grabbing one of Vlad’s burning, trembling hands in his cold ones, the two of them unconsciously charging ectoplasmic energy in a way Danny couldn’t remember doing before. Usually he was gathering that power to fire it off at someone, but this was softer, more subtle a release, and he realized their cores were trying to stabilize each other because of the degree of disruption in Vlad’s.<br/><br/>He must be <em> really </em> upset.<br/><br/>It made the idea of him being alone sound even worse to Danny, but he couldn’t force him to stay, and he couldn’t just follow him around all day. That was asking for a fight, and Vlad didn’t need that right now, as much as he probably wanted to blow off some steam.<br/><br/>“Okay.” He sighed, releasing Vlad’s hand. The furious shaking had ceased, but Danny could still sense some kind of distress. That definitely wasn’t normal, but he wasn’t going to tell Vlad about it right now, it would only freak him out more. “Alright. Just, don’t go destroying the mall or anything, because then I have no choice but to come after you…” He teased, smiling shyly up at the man and finally catching his eyes.<br/><br/>They were so stormy, just as chaotic as the feelings coming from the man’s core. He leaned up to kiss him, faltering when Vlad flinched back yet again and looked around them. “This is not the time or place for that…”<br/><br/>He knew Vlad was right, but it still hurt a bit. He felt needy, craving some reassurance that <em> they </em> were good even when Vlad wasn't.  It was selfish, but that wasn't new. “Yeah…” He eventually agreed, even though his shoulders sagged and he pouted rather pathetically.<br/><br/>Vlad’s hard glare softened and he scanned the area once more before bringing Danny’s hand up to his cheek, nuzzling his face against it before kissing his palm.<br/><br/>“We’ll… see each other soon, Little Badger. We have much training to do.” He wanted to smile when Danny’s face brightened but he just didn’t have it in him.<br/><br/>He stepped away and watched Danny ascend the stairs and go inside, and they shared one last look before Vlad gave his most convincing smirk and disappeared in a cloud of dark pink smoke.<br/><br/>The house sounded empty, and there was a deafening echo when the front door latched shut. Danny reluctantly walked into the kitchen, pausing in the doorway when all three members of his family looked up at him. They were sitting at the kitchen table in silence, his dad lifting his head from his hands and his mother nursing a tumbler of that liquor Vlad brought yesterday. Jazz was leaning against Jack, her hand rubbing large circles into his equally large back. His eyes were red.<br/><br/>Danny sighed and pulled out a chair when he reached the table. “Well, that was a lot.” He felt Jazz’s foot nudge him under the table and he shrugged, not knowing what else to say. They’d apparently been talking at one point in his absence, because Maddie suddenly picked up where they left off, this time addressing Danny as well.<br/><br/>“We really did try. He turned us away every time, and we tried to bring it up a few times in the last few years too, but he always shut it down. I didn’t know he was still… hurting so badly over what happened. All of it.” Danny knew she was talking about their marriage after the fact as well, but neither of them told Jack or Jazz all of the details of their Mother-Son fiasco in Colorado. Jazz knew about Vlad’s obsession with stealing their mom, but his dad still had no idea that Vlad had even been so in love with her.<br/><br/>Past tense, Danny assured himself.<br/><br/>Jack rubbed his hands over his face. “I just thought he’d forgiven us after all these years. I mean, he was talking to us, coming around again, and he hadn’t mentioned it…”<br/><br/>“That doesn’t mean it ever went away.” Danny’s voice was low, unsure if he should insert himself any further into this situation. Jack and Maddie stared at him blankly, curiously, while Jazz gave him a cautious look, reminding him to tread softly.<br/><br/>“I just mean- Certain things just… change you forever, and you can’t go back to the way things were before." They all looked at him and he felt a little like he was on stage or presenting for class.<br/><br/>He continued nervously. "I think when stuff like that happens, part of the person you once were dies or, like, gets left behind there in that moment, and it'll always be there, and you’ll always remember what it felt like.” He knew he was speaking from his own experience now, but he didn’t know how else to help them understand Vlad. "That part of Vlad just seems stuck in the past."<br/><br/>Maddie blinked at him, a thoughtful look on her face. “That’s very… wise of you to say, Danny.” Now she <em> knew </em> that Vlad had talked to Danny about the accident, because where else would such wisdom come from?<br/><br/>“You’re right, Danny-boy.” Jack heaved a giant sigh. “I… was too afraid to bring it up myself. I didn’t want to dredge up old wounds, but Vladdy was still feeling them all this time. For some reason I thought we’d all just bury it and move on.” He knew his father was literally admitting that he was wrong, but the man’s thought process still annoyed him.<br/><br/>“You said yourself years ago that the accident ruined his social life, if not his life in general. You knew that, so how can you expect him to come back from that without any work on your part? How can you just assume he’d grow out of it and be fine when you’ve never even talked about it before today?” There was no emotional awareness or logic in his father’s reasoning, and it was moments like these where he realized that adults were just as lost and clueless as people his age were.<br/><br/>Jack wilted when Danny couldn’t keep the edge out of his voice, something that had Maddie’s eyes narrowing into her drink and flitting over to him suspiciously.<br/><br/>He didn’t catch it, too caught up in the pain Vlad must have been in. He could almost feel it himself, and he didn’t know if it was stemming from his own trauma or if his and Vlad’s core connection was growing that substantially. All he knew was that he was upset for the man, feeling empathetic for <em> Vlad-freaking-Plasmius</em>, almost protective even though he knew the older halfa didn’t need any sort of protecting.<br/><br/>Neither of his parents said anything, and Danny scoffed loudly at them before standing from his chair. It felt weird to be taking Vlad's side over theirs, but there was just so much they didn't understand.<br/><br/>“Look, I’m not saying he was <em> right </em> to shut you out and then hold a grudge like that for twenty years, but if this is how the whole thing was handled, then, well, he’s… not wrong.”<br/><br/>His parents looked stricken, and Jazz’s brows shot up in disbelief at what Danny had just said. Sure, this bit of history coming to light was eye opening, but enough for Danny to say that Vlad <em> wasn’t wrong?</em> Everything Vlad did was wrong, the man was a textbook psychopath, and she could easily recall the <em> countless </em> times he'd hurt Danny specifically, even recently.<br/><br/>Though, perhaps with the developments between them, Danny had seen more in the man, something that she, even with her extensive knowledge of psychology and awareness of the man’s halfa status, could not.<br/><br/>He paused at the threshold, probably thinking better of how that had come out as he wilted a bit and turned back to them a bit shamefully. “Just… give him time. More time.” That was what Vlad claimed he needed earlier anyway.<br/><br/>Their eyes followed Danny out of the room just as they’d followed Vlad, but Jazz couldn’t leave him to stew in his emotional turmoil all alone. She stood as his uncharacteristically heavy footsteps could be heard ascending the stairs. “I’m… gonna go talk to him.”<br/><br/>Her parents gave her a look that communicated just how confused they were by Danny’s apparent emotional investment in this situation. She pursed her lips, unsure of what else she should say. What <em> could </em> she say about their relationship that wouldn’t sound weird? She opened her mouth and shut it, giving up and making her way up to Danny’s room. He needed her more than they did.<br/><br/>The dynamic change of their relationship didn’t go unnoticed by Maddie though, who was already tallying up every little oddity Danny was displaying as of late. She couldn’t get how much Danny used to hate the man out of her head. She remembered the tension, but she hadn’t thought much about it outside of Danny being protective of her. Now though, he seemed much more protective of Vlad. It hadn’t been until Vlad came over that Danny’s entire attitude had changed from this morning.<br/><br/>He’d watched Vlad’s every move. He’d stuck to the man’s side like glue. Danny had <em> cursed </em> at them when they pushed the man. They’d obviously bonded during one of their talks, shared private thoughts and experiences and gotten closer…<br/><br/>Closer.<br/><br/>Closer to Vlad. Maddie’s face fell.<br/><br/>All those years ago, back at the reunion, that had been the first time they’d encountered Plasmius. She thought it had taken over Jack to hurt <em> them</em>, but what if this wasn’t about them after all?<br/><br/>What if Plasmius just used Jack as a way to get to Vlad?<br/><br/>It was all starting to make sense. Danny’s and Vlad’s relationship changing, Danny’s overreactions and strange, creepy aura when the man came over, the protectiveness, or rather possessiveness…<br/><br/>Plasmius was doing the same thing he’d done back then. It explained Danny's sudden attachment to his godfather and all the strangeness when the man was near. Was Plasmius using Danny as a means to get to Vlad? Why did he haunt Vlad? She frowned at the multitude of possible reasons.<br/><br/>He was a powerful man, rich and influential. He had a hand in various businesses revolving around tech, mundane and anti-ghost alike, both weaponized and otherwise. His labs worked with the Guys in White, and he was the mayor of what was possibly the most ghost infested town in the states.</p><p>He was also very openly anti-ghost.<br/><br/>She couldn’t predict the specter’s endgame, but it seemed as though he didn’t want to take out the mayor with any regular old haunting, and it wasn’t like the ghost had outright tried to kill him, as there had been ample opportunity over the years.<br/><br/>The ghost had chosen Jack as a sort of catalyst, and now it was acting through Danny. The ghost wanted this to be personal. He wanted Vlad to suffer <em> before </em> death.</p><p>He wanted Vlad Masters to be taken out by a loved one.<br/><br/>It was so devious, so cruel and sadistic and she didn’t understand its motivations or its methods. Ghosts were direct and typically focused on one thing, but Plasmius…<br/><br/>Plasmius was playing the long game.<br/><br/>Aside from the Fentons and a few hunters, Vlad was one of the only people keeping this town’s infestation under control, and Plasmius obviously wasn’t going to allow that any longer...</p><p>And now her Danny was caught in the crossfire. </p><p>"Jack, I think we might have a bigger problem than I thought…"<b><br/></b> <b><br/></b> <b>-</b> <b><br/></b> <b><br/></b> Danny lay awake in bed late into that night, staring up at the neon stars stuck to his ceiling as if they would tell him how he was supposed to feel right now.<br/><br/>Jazz had come in after him hours earlier to gently bite his head off for how he’d acted downstairs. He expected it, and when he thought about what he'd said with a clearer head, he knew he deserved it. Even so he felt the need to defend himself. He’d tried to explain how powerful the connection was becoming, that it wasn’t something he was always conscious of. After all, some of Vlad’s more nuanced traits didn’t even register as foreign to him most of the time.<br/><br/>He really was trying to stay aware and adapt to all the changes like Clockwork told him to, but with their cores so… mixed up it was hard to identify if certain feelings were his or something Vlad might feel or if it was just the <em> reaction </em> to those feelings that came out all weird.<br/><br/>His fuse was indeed significantly shorter, that was a Vlad thing for sure.<br/><br/>Okay, so maybe he hadn’t had the best temper to start with, but it hadn’t been like <em> this. </em> The increasingly obvious jealousy of his own <em> mom </em> was pretty jarring, especially since it wasn’t the first time, but he hadn’t done anything particularly manipulative. He was getting better at this, and he'd thought he was handling it all super well, considering.<br/><br/>Vlad was dealing with guilt and an influx of various other feelings he’d likely shut out over the years, but if anything that made him a little <em> less </em> dangerous. His influence on Danny’s core seemed more powerful and overwhelming. Danny was trying to cope with how deeply angry he could feel at a moment’s notice, how intensely motivated he was when he wanted something, how he didn’t want to share the object of his affections with anyone and at this point he was pretty sure he viewed his mom as a romantic rival. <b><br/></b> <b><br/></b> There was no way he was going to spill all of that to his sister though, not just yet. He’d also decided to hold off on telling her and his friends that he and Vlad kissed again, even if it had been quite consensual.<br/><br/>It hadn’t been <em> that </em> bad when he told them about the time in the lab, but they hadn’t exactly been thrilled. Even if Vlad had been fully complicit this time, he highly doubted his friends would be on board with how things were progressing between them. Supportive of him, but perhaps not his decisions. They told him he’d get hurt, that he needed to be careful, but he didn’t feel like he was playing it particularly safe with his feelings.<br/><br/>He just knew too much about Vlad now, things he hadn’t allowed himself to think about when they were enemies. He knew that today had been <em> rough </em> for Vlad, and the man always bailed out of emotional situations right when he was about to lose it. Or he just lost it and laid waste to those in his path.<br/><br/>Fortunately for everyone, this time he bailed. Just as he had after confronting Danny about the lab. Just as he had when Danny admitted to having romantic feelings for him in the park, though that time he’d tried to lose it on Danny <em> and then </em> bail.<br/><br/>But today seemed so much worse than those times, and he couldn’t close his eyes without worrying about what Plasmius was doing, what he was thinking right now. He should be trying to figure out how to talk to his parents about things like this, ghostly or otherwise. There was only a semester left before he was going to tell them everything- if he even graduated this year.<br/><br/>He wished he could duplicate himself like Plasmius, then one of him could worry about college and parents and the other could do all the ghost things he wanted to do with Vlad.<br/><br/>He had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t turn out much better than that time he used the Ghost Catcher though…<br/><br/>Just one more semester, then he could go to college or explore the deep Ghost Zone or do <em> whatever he wanted</em>. It was both liberating and terrifying, but he knew he’d always have his friends and Jazz, even if they were a little further away.<br/><br/>And he’d have Vlad now too…<br/><br/>Danny sat up in bed and looked at his alarm clock. It was midnight.<br/><br/>He bit his lip. His thoughts kept circling back to the other halfa, and he could already tell that he wouldn’t be getting any sleep until he was sure…<br/><br/>Sure of what? That Vlad hadn’t done anything crazy? That he was okay? What qualified as ‘okay’?<br/><br/>He just felt this <em> need </em> to see the man for himself, maybe talk. How long did one really need to think? Was seven or so hours enough ‘time to himself’? Actually acknowledging how much time had passed didn’t ease his nerves, and he transformed to sink down to the basement to go through the portal.<br/><br/>But his parents were there.<br/><br/>He quickly diverted his flight, surely unable to sneak by, even invisibly, when they were literally sampling the ambient ectoplasm of the portal. Plus the increased frequency of the loud beeping of one of their machines didn’t seem like a very good thing, so he decided that maybe flying all the way there wouldn’t be so bad.<br/><br/>He didn’t get as far as he thought before he began to feel Plasmius’ core nearby. Danny looked below and realized he wasn’t far from Polter heights. Vlad had gone to his Amity Park mansion? Why?<br/><br/>He flew lower as he approached Vlad’s neighborhood, slowing as he drew nearer to the man’s gated Mansion. No lights were on inside but he could definitely feel the man’s presence here. He landed on the roof and stared down between his feet.<br/><br/>Should he just barge in? He’d never cared about Vlad’s privacy before, but with everything that went down today, technically yesterday, he didn’t want to overstep any boundaries here. Vlad probably felt pretty exposed as it is. Aside from Danny, Jazz, Sam and Tucker, and other ghosts, no one really saw Vlad Masters lose his cool. He’d probably lash out or blast Danny through a window if he just came waltzing in.<br/><br/>Only one way to find out.<br/><br/>Danny phased through the roof, following where his core felt Vlad’s the strongest. That was still such a weird ability, but it certainly came in handy, especially now. He wasn’t as familiar with this house as he was with the main parts of Vlad’s castle in Wisconsin.<br/><br/>He wouldn’t have to search long, as it was obvious that Vlad was in his living room. In the dark.<br/><br/>Well, sort of. There was a small pink fire burning in the fireplace, but he still couldn’t see the other halfa anywhere. Danny frowned, scanning the shadows around him before walking around to the front of the room and looking down to finally find Vlad, passed out on the couch. Danny blinked, watching the last of that red mist as it slipped past Vlad’s parted lips.<br/><br/>He was positioned somewhat awkwardly, like he had initially fallen asleep on his side but his upper half had slumped over to where his chest and face were now pressed into the seat cushion rather uncomfortably, or so it looked. His hair splayed over his face, sticking to some parts of it, and his arms and one of his legs dangled from the edge of the couch. He was still wearing most of his suit but it was wrinkled to hell, making him look thoroughly disheveled. Danny’s eyes followed one of his arms down to the hand that loosely gripped a near empty bottle of god-knows-what kind of liquor, one twitch away from tipping it all the way over and onto his rug.<br/><br/>“Oh, Vlad…” Danny sighed as he knelt down to take it from his limp hand and place it on the table. He stayed on his knees and observed the sleeping man, lifting his hand again and letting go to watch it flop almost lifelessly against the couch again. Vlad didn’t even flinch. He looked dead. Dead-er.<br/><br/>Danny leaned over him and tenderly smoothed his hair out of the way. It would normally be pretty funny to see Vlad look so undignified and sloppy, but right now it hurt. Vlad had literally drunk himself into oblivion this time. He would have honestly preferred temper tantrum Vlad to this. He ran his cold fingers over Vlad’s face, his heart breaking a bit further when the light from Vlad’s ghostly fire showed the dried streaks running down Vlad's cheeks to his eyes. Tear stains. Vlad had been crying.<br/><br/>That explained why he’d gotten so hammered he couldn’t even move. Danny swallowed, tucking a few silver locks behind Vlad’s ear and shifting his weight, only to wince when his other knee made contact with several shards of broken <em> something. </em> He glared down at what looked to be the remnants of a broken glass. Perhaps temper tantrum Vlad had made an appearance after all.<br/><br/>Danny chewed his lip as he looked down at the mess, then Vlad, then the fire, then Vlad again. With an icy gust of wind the fire was out, and Danny carefully scooped Vlad up into his arms, frowning further when his head simply lulled into his shoulder, his skin all too hot. Danny waited, sure that Vlad would wake up and yell at him for carrying him like this, but Vlad’s choppy breaths continued to huff against his neck rhythmically, signifying that he was still out cold. Or hot. Whatever.<br/><br/>He felt heavy as he flew them up to what was presumably Vlad’s bedroom, but it had little to do with the man’s added weight. He laid the man down gently, pausing to see if he’d wake up this time. Nothing.<br/><br/>For a while he just watched Vlad’s chest rise and fall. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Vlad sleep before. Really sleep. He’d definitely seen the man knocked the fuck out on more than one occasion... Vlad had probably lost just as many fights as Danny over the years, if not more considering how much longer he’d been a ghost, so that wasn’t all that rare a sight.<br/><br/>One could also argue that Vlad was <em> currently </em> knocked the fuck out, but this was different from the battles somehow, different from the stasis Nocturn had put him in when he was imprisoned. Still not a very peaceful rest, not one that came naturally, but the relaxed dead-to-the-world expression was endearing on such a typically harsh face.<br/><br/>Suddenly that expression disappeared, scrunching up into a deep frown as one of Vlad’s hands reached up to claw at the skin of his face and groan. Danny surged forward and took hold of his wrist to pull it away but Vlad’s expression only became more pitiful. He arched a bit, his other hand reaching up to finish the job the first had started. Danny grabbed that one too, leaning over the man as he jerked.<br/><br/>Danny’s jaw clenched at the familiar feeling coming from the older halfa’s core. Vlad was dreaming. It was more likely a nightmare, judging by the agony on his face, and Danny thought back to what Vlad had said about his accident, about the <em> burning</em>. He did feel hot, but that wasn’t unusual, so it was hard to say if that was what Vlad was dreaming about.<br/><br/>Even so, Danny reached out with his core, trying to soothe the man as he’d done earlier today. The temperature drop was enough to stop the writhing, and Vlad eventually went lax after about a minute of Danny releasing his energy around them.<br/><br/>He was a bit exhausted himself now, and he laid himself against Vlad when the man stilled. He tried to think peaceful thoughts, hoping that it would somehow transfer over like other emotions seemed to, but he wasn't sure if he was doing it successfully. He pressed his face into the man's chest and sighed at the rhythmic pulsing of his core, still distinguishable even in his human form. Danny recalled the night before when he fell asleep next to(on) Vlad and his face grew cold and bright. The memory was still a bit hazy, but he remembered feeling good. Cozy. Comforted.<br/><br/>Perhaps Vlad needed that feeling right now. Danny lifted his head to peer up at Vlad for a moment before crawling up and twisting their positions, laying them both on their sides and pulling Vlad against his chest. He snaked his arm under Vlad’s head and curled it around until he could run his fingers through the man’s hair, his other hand running softly up and down the older halfa’s back.<br/><br/>He smiled when Vlad unconsciously leaned into him, snuggling up and burying his face in the crook of Danny’s neck before heaving a sigh and falling completely limp once more, one of his arms thrown over his adopted teddy bear. Who knew Vlad Masters was a cuddler?<br/><br/>Danny smirked. Oh, he was <em> never </em> gonna let Vlad live this down.<br/><br/>He threw his leg over Vlad’s hip and got more comfortable, craning his head back so he could look at Vlad’s face again. His expression had gone soft once more, and Danny found it hard to resist pressing his lips to Vlad’s still sweaty forehead. He still smelled nice, probably cologne, but the smell of strong liquor was mixing in with that and the sweat.<br/><br/>Danny brought his free hand up to Vlad’s face to unstick a few damp strands of hair, blowing cool air over his skin and shyly peppering light kisses here and there. He felt Vlad release what sounded like a relieved sigh, his mouth hanging open a little, and his almost-too-hot breaths fanned over Danny’s skin, warming him in more ways than one.<br/><br/>Vlad’s face nuzzled into his neck again, and he felt the man’s strong arm tighten around his waist, pulling him further into that heat. It felt nice. He didn’t often get to experience warmth the way he used to before he got his ice powers, nor did he cuddle people. He imagined Vlad didn’t either, so he reveled in the feeling, hands still combing through Vlad’s hair as the man had done for him last night.<br/><br/>God was that only last night? This had to be the craziest twenty four hours of his life, and he’d <em> died </em> before, so that was saying something. He’d take this over the accident any day.<br/><br/>He’d planned on swinging by, possibly having a heart to heart with Vlad, or more likely than that, having a yelling match, and then flying home once he saw that the man was okay. But he wasn’t. Vlad had never really been okay.<br/><br/>He held the man tighter, pressing his cheek to the top of his head. Danny knew holding him wouldn’t make all of their problems go away, but for now he could pretend. He’d hold Vlad all night if he needed to, then he’d fly home before his parents got up and catch up on sleep then.<br/><br/>But things never went according to plan for Danny, and before he knew it he’d been lulled into a deep slumber by Vlad’s warmth and the pleasant purring of their cores.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oof, my sad bois.</p><p>Your comments give me LIFE. Like really, I get so pumped and excited to write when I read y'all's sweet ass encouragements. </p><p>Thanks again darlings, hope you enjoyed~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. The Allure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad overthinks. Danny fucking yearns. </p><p>Ya boi want some fuck so bad, but they're so sad and dumb and dead.</p><p>Unless...</p><p> </p><p>Warnings for PP  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lmao sorry this took like a whole ass month. I keep getting like seven pages deep into a chapter and realizing I want it totally different and scrapping it. </p><p>Anyway here ya go babes.</p><p>Also sidenote: obviously changed my name from Chaos_SaLEm. It was an homage to my old abandoned ff account but yeet that wack shit. Ghost Malone feels right.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Vlad woke to the late morning sun bleeding through his curtains, barely stifling a groan as he breached consciousness and blinked groggily at the bright light. His head began to throb immediately and his brows drew together as he squeezed his eyes shut again, pushing his face into the darkness of Daniel’s neck once more to shield them from the offending rays.<br/><br/>Wait... Daniel’s neck?<br/><br/>His eyes snapped open, finding most of his vision obscured by pale skin and dark hair.<br/><br/>What was Daniel doing here?<br/><br/>He felt cool breaths against the side of his face and the weight of the boy’s limbs, wrapped around him. Vlad remained completely still, even holding his breath as he took in their current position.<br/><br/>They lay facing each other, though Vlad couldn’t <em> see </em> his face since his own was still nestled in the crook of Danny’s neck. The younger halfa was lying curled on his side, one leg draped over Vlad’s hip while the other leg was nestled in between his thighs. Slightly pale arms were loosely coiled around him in a lazy embrace, one of Vlad’s own wrapped around Danny while the other was tucked between them. He eventually relaxed when he got his bearings, leaning further into the boy’s hold and closing his eyes once more as he released the breath he’d been holding.<br/><br/>It was decidedly pleasant. He hadn’t slept with anyone, sexually or otherwise, since long before the reunion. Before meeting Daniel. It was a comfort that he dearly missed.<br/><br/>It felt especially nice with Daniel, and he laid there content to pretend to sleep for as long as he could, not quite ready to face the world after what occurred yesterday.<br/><br/>Vlad frowned, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he squeezed his lids shut tighter.<br/><br/>He tried to focus on the moment, enjoying this rare indulgence in physical contact and wanting nothing more than to hold Danny tighter but not wanting to wake him just yet. There was the faintest, most soothing vibration coming from the boy’s core, and Vlad’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment as his responded in kind.<br/><br/>That was… peculiar.<br/><br/>A low hum escaped him as he tried to draw even closer to the sensation, and all thoughts of how they’d gotten here had almost fled from his mind completely.<br/><br/>Almost.<br/><br/>His lids opened half mast and he stared at Danny’s neck blankly, eyes unseeing as Jack and Maddie’s sorrowful, pleading faces flashed through his mind and his body tensed, feeling fury and confusion well within him all over again. He’d been an utter disaster yesterday.<br/><br/>He’d planned on teleporting straight home after leaving the Fentons’, but he <em> needed </em> to stop off in the Ghost Zone to release his rampantly flaring core energy before he set something on fire in the world of the living. Luckily for the inhabitants of said zone, there had been no ghosts present upon which to unleash his wrath, though Vlad <em> wished </em> someone would have crossed him. There'd been an overwhelming urge to hurt something fueling each furious blast, and for a moment it was like he was his old self.</p><p>But he wasn't.<br/><br/>He felt pulled apart again, very much like he’d felt when he was starving and his ghost half was overtaking him. Plasmius had the reins yesterday, brought back to the forefront of Vlad’s being when the Fentons pushed his mind back into the past where his ghostly consciousness typically lingered.<br/><br/>The resulting emotional response to those ‘triggering’ reminiscence, and of course other similarly upsetting things, always brought on a fun little reaction from his core that Vlad sometimes fondly referred to as ‘overheating’.<br/><br/>He recalled Jack sweating because of it. Needing to leave, right then. The soothing chill of Daniels core pervading his hot, mindless rage.<br/><br/>Yesterday was coming back to him in chunks, each recovered memory bringing a new little headache.<br/><br/>Vlad remembered disappearing himself into his mansion in Amity Park once he left enough ectoplasmic flames amongst the blown-up land masses in the Ghost Zone. After his explosive fit he found himself a bit too fatigued to teleport all the way back to Wisconsin, and he didn’t want to deal with the tapestry weaseling its way into his head as it always seemed to do.<br/><br/>There was more than enough on his mind already.<br/><br/>He’d teleported into his kitchen and went straight to the bar. He kept alcohol on hand in all of his properties, and he thanked the heavens that he had something harder than wine in this particular house. Thinking about the Fentons like this definitely warranted a few shots, but he was in a sipping and stewing mood- though even then he’d still ended up drinking more than half the bottle.<br/><br/>God, he’d been so close to exposing himself. Vlad cringed against Danny as he remembered drunkenly seething and crying and fuming all evening after the fact, his mind forcing his body to experience phantom pains of his dying process, him laying in that sterile room wishing they could feel what he felt.<br/><br/>He wanted to hate them still. They finally knew a fraction of his suffering but he didn’t feel vindicated in the least. This was supposed to be cathartic to some degree, right? That’s what Jasmine had been aiming for when she forced them into that terribly excruciating conversation.<br/><br/>But the catharsis had never been for him, it had been for the Fentons, as if they needed it so badly. As if <em> they </em> were the ones to get blasted in the face with corrupted ectoplasmic energy, as if <em> they </em> were the ones to writhe in a hospital bed for years, burning all over, as if <em> they </em> were the ones that were turned into half-dead monsters. He didn’t even have his old hatred to lean on anymore, just these new feelings blending with his old ones, the essence of Danny’s very being swirling about within Vlad’s own.<br/><br/>Yesterday he told himself that he wouldn’t let Danny’s energy dilute or skew his deep desire for vengeance but it was evident that it already had.<br/><br/>Danny had stolen his revenge from him. He’d whisked it away and chocked his core full of love and forgiveness and <em> bullshit, </em>and now, when they finally put some of it out in the open, when he could finally, outwardly despise the Fentons... he didn’t.<br/><br/>Well he did, but it <em> wasn’t the same</em>. He could feel the difference. He himself was different. Danny was changing him, with his ectoplasm, with his presence- But yesterday had been too much of the past for his ghost half, triggering Plasmius’ vengeful fury like a city in peril triggered Danny’s hero complex.<br/><br/>It was easy to hate them when he was angry and reminiscent, but now he just felt tired. He missed Jack and Maddie, and as much as he wanted them to face their fatally foolish mistakes and suffer as much as he did, he also wanted them back.<br/><br/>It was upon that revelation that he’d said <em> fuck </em> the glass and threw it to the ground in favor of drinking straight from the bottle, and he was already quite drunk at that point. He hadn’t wanted to think about them anymore, nor did he want to think about their past. He didn’t want to think of all of his resentment being shoved down and neatly tucked away so that they could all be friends again and live under a fucking rainbow, but he also didn’t want to think about seeing them again and actually having to finish that conversation...<br/><br/>He didn’t want to think about anything at all.<br/><br/>He was truly surprised that his house was still standing. It all eventually blurred after he broke down. He probably cried himself to sleep. Pathetic.<br/><br/>He couldn’t remember when everything went black, or when reality had morphed into his nightmares and then back again, but waking up like this almost made it all worth it.<br/><br/>Again, almost.<br/><br/>Daniel must have found him passed out somewhere in the house. He still had his suit on, minus the jacket, and his belt was digging into his hips uncomfortably, but he didn’t dare move out of Danny’s hold. </p><p>It was a very bizarre situation he'd found himself in, being cradled here by none other than Danny Phantom, or rather Fenton. Danny’s human form was decidedly warmer than his ghost form, but still not quite as warm as the average human. The coolness of his skin felt nice, though Vlad had the distinct memory of Daniel’s mouth being comparatively warm when they kissed, but then he also remembered icy breath and cold ectoplasm.<br/><br/>So strange.<br/><br/>He marveled at the contrast in body temperature within one singular person, fascinated by how the boy's ice core presented itself when he wasn't Phantom. Vlad himself was hot all over. There were no ‘cold spots’ within his body like Daniel had warm spots, though he supposed being a warm blooded human and a hot blooded ghost would make such a difference harder to notice.<br/><br/>He decided he liked the little oddities he discovered in Daniel Fenton, and he was quite intrigued by the discovery that the boy's mouth would be warm for certain activities beyond those sweet kisses…<br/><br/>Vlad closed his eyes and pushed the suggestive notion away to avoid inciting a physical response. It was probably a bit early for those kinds of thoughts despite their history, maybe even <em> because </em> of their history, but especially so since they had yet to formally discuss any part of their budding relationship. A small part of him hoped that they never would.</p><p>It wasn’t as if he couldn’t handle such a delicate conversation, he was actually quite adept in the art, but perhaps they could spare themselves the discomfiture and avoid verbally addressing the nature of their relationship...<br/><br/>He was sure Danny would agree, especially with avoiding any awkward discussions. It would be simple if Daniel would just bend to Vlad's will so he could do things the way he was used to, <em> his </em> way, but he knew the boy was far too stubborn to let him just take over this new dynamic of theirs.<br/><br/>He wasn't accustomed to being the one to yield control, but one of them had to, and Daniel <em> did </em> seem to have a better idea of what he wanted out of this...<br/><br/>Though that was more likely due to the fact that Vlad was afraid to want something from it.<br/><br/>Just using the term ‘relationship’ in regards to Daniel, especially a <em> romantic </em> relationship, felt so very foreign and inconceivable. There was also the fact that while Vlad may be older, neither of them had any real ‘experience’ with relationships. He wasn’t counting his early escapades or Danny’s high school girlfriends. He didn't know exactly what the boy had in mind for them, but whatever kind of relationship they initiated wouldn’t be anything like Danny’s little schoolyard flings.<br/><br/>This would have to be a very adult, very private relationship, one with several dangerous factors and consequences to consider.<br/><br/>How would it affect their secret? Would it interfere with training when they started? Who would be allowed to know? It already annoyed him to even think about Jasmine having an idea of what was developing here, so he couldn’t imagine anyone else in the boy’s circle knowing... Then there was Danny’s future schooling to think about, and he remembered that Danny wanted to tell the Fentons about being part ghost after graduating from Casper High. </p><p>How much longer would he be able to hide his own secret?<br/><br/>It was just so much. Their truce alone was already complicated, but throwing desire and other such feelings into the mix with their ghostly alter egos was going to be pure chaos.<br/><br/>But he still found himself wanting a taste of that chaos. Even if it was short lived, even if Daniel changed his mind tomorrow or next week or after he’d gotten all the training he wanted and didn’t need the Vlad anymore. He wanted whatever Danny was willing to give him, and he’d work to make it all worth their while, even if their situation was a tricky one.<br/><br/>He’d plotted his way through risky circumstances plenty of times before, and if he got to bask in Daniel’s ephemeral adoration in the meantime then it was <em> already </em> worth it, inevitable heartbreak be damned.<br/><br/>Now he just needed to figure out how to face Jack and Maddie.<br/><br/>His thoughts spun off into various Fenton-oriented tangents that had his headache returning full force, and he was sure he was going to throw up if he didn't do something about it. He groaned and curled into Danny further, hesitating a moment before transforming into Plasmius to burn the hangover from his system.<br/><br/>Danny jerked awake as Vlad changed, jarred by the strange pull in his core as Vlad’s dark rings washed over the both of them. That felt <em> weird</em>.<br/><br/>He was a little disoriented at first, looking around the room with confused, narrowed eyes before he remembered last night. He peered down at Vlad, smiling sleepily when the man remained in his arms despite the both of them being awake.<br/><br/>“Hey Fruit Loop…” He curled his arm tighter around Vlad’s neck and pulled the man even closer to him, enjoying that ghostly heat. “How ya feeling?” Seemed like an obligatory question. Vlad had asked him the same thing yesterday after the truce party, but he hadn’t been nearly as trashed then as Vlad had to have been last night.<br/><br/>The older halfa returned to his human form before groaning and, almost cutely, hiding his face away in Danny’s neck again instead of offering an appropriate response. Danny couldn't help snickering at the sound, content to accept the answer if it meant Vlad would continue to allow himself to be held. He’d been so sure that Vlad would wake up and play it off or pretend they hadn’t cuddled all night, but it seemed yesterday left him needing this contact.<br/><br/>Danny savored it.</p><p>“Yeah, I thought you might say that.” He couldn’t see his face but he felt a small quirk of Vlad's lips against his skin in response.<br/><br/>Danny hesitantly began running the fingers of his free hand up and down the man’s back, hiding his smile in his silvery hair when Vlad sighed and sank further into his embrace. It was scary, how much he liked this. Being attracted to Vlad was weird enough, but actually caring about the man this much, wanting to hold him and be held and touch him-<br/><br/>“How long have you been here?” Vlad’s voice cut through his thoughts, soft and muffled by Danny’s neck.</p><p>Danny’s shrug was nonchalant, not wanting to make it a big deal. “I guess I came a little after midnight. You were already out cold on the couch when I got here.”<br/><br/>“I see.” There was a touch of embarrassment in the short response, but again Danny resisted poking at it like he normally would. There would always be plenty of time for them to antagonize each other, but this didn’t feel like one of those moments. For some reason he wanted Vlad to feel like they could talk about these kinds of things together, seriously. He didn't want to question <em> why </em> he wanted this openness between them, but he did.<br/><br/>Danny began stroking Vlad's hair again as the man’s anguished expressions from the day before came rushing back. He wanted to apologize for how trying it had been for him, but he didn’t know exactly how to say it. It wasn’t his fault that Jazz pushed, or that his parents were so clueless and out of touch, but he felt responsible for it anyway.<br/><br/>“You were in pretty bad shape last night.” Danny said instead. He glanced down at Vlad’s rumpled vest and wrinkly shirt, still running fingers through his tangled hair. “You still kinda look like shit.”<br/><br/>Vlad scoffed as he buried his face into Danny’s neck. “Thank you, Little Badger. You really know how to sweep a man off his feet.”<br/><br/>Danny’s cheeks gradually pinkened and he breathed a nervous, giddy laugh. Were they flirting again?<br/><br/>“What can I say, Fruit-” He awkwardly shifted a bit and one of Vlad’s legs ended up moving further between his as the man readjusted to Danny’s movement. </p><p>Danny stopped short and immediately flashed back to the night of the truce party when he’d basically grinded his dick into Vlad’s warm thigh and he went from pink cheeks to red all over. This was <em> not </em> the time to be getting ideas like <em> that</em>. He needed to stay on track, not get distracted from talking about yesterday. At least there was currently no part of Vlad touching his awakening morning wood, that might have been awk-<br/><br/>Wait, morning?<br/><br/>“Oh shit! <em> Fuck! </em> ” Danny pulled away and rolled off the bed to his feet, eyes casing the room for a clock, because <em> all </em> old people had clocks, and his hands frantically patted down the basketball shorts he’d worn to bed last night. </p><p>Did he seriously leave his phone at home?<br/><br/>Vlad sat up and glared drowsily at him, about to admonish him for his language simply because he knew it annoyed Danny whenever he did so, when ice blue eyes suddenly locked onto his.<br/><br/>“Vlad, give me your phone.” He raised a brow at the demanding tone, smirking slightly when he heard a bit of himself in it.<br/><br/>“I beg your pardon?”<br/><br/>Danny heaved a loud sigh and climbed back onto the bed towards Vlad, making the man lean away warily as Danny moved to loom over him, “You heard me, Fruit Loop. Now where’s your cell phone?”<br/><br/>Vlad blinked up at him. He honestly wasn't sure, that part of last evening was still fuzzy. He patted himself like Danny had, despite knowing it likely wasn’t on him. Vlad thought back to the last time he had it out and vaguely remembered having put it in his coat at the Fentons’, but his coat was probably laying on the floor somewhere between the kitchen and the den.<br/><br/>“It’s somewhere downstairs, but I have another phone over there.” Vlad lazily pointed across the room where an antique rotary phone perched next to a large, ugly reading chair. Danny almost laughed out loud.<br/><br/>“What? The fuck? Is that real? Does that thing still work? Did you perfect time travel and go back just for that phone? How do you even-?” Vlad narrowed his eyes at the ‘ <em> hilarious </em> ’ inquiries and poorly withheld snickering and, with greatly dramatized exasperation, he crawled out of bed and made his way to the phone.<br/><br/>“Just tell me the number.”<br/><br/>Danny watched curiously as Vlad dialed, snatching the earpiece and pressing it to his face when Vlad handed it to him and nearly breaking into laughs all over again. He couldn’t believe he was actually using one of these dinosaur phones.<br/><br/>Vlad watched with mild interest as Danny’s foot bounced anxiously before a wary feminine <em> ‘Hello?’ </em> could be heard from the other end.<br/><br/>“Jazz!” Danny whisper-shouted. There was a pause.<br/><br/><em> “Oh, hey girl, what’s up?” </em> She was in front of their parents.<br/><br/>“Look, I went out last night to do ghost stuff and I left my phone in my room. I'm good, but I need you to find it and send a text to mom and dad saying I’m at Tucker’s or something!” Vlad gave a faintly impressed nod, a bit surprised Danny’s ability to think on the spot. For someone with so many tells he was actually decent at lying.<br/><br/>Jazz’s tone was still ‘casual’, but her voice became tight. <em> “Hm, I might actually have a copy of that book here, let me go find it.” </em> Great. Questions. <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Danny could hear her climbing the stairs, then the latch of a door as her voice came through a bit louder this time.<br/><br/><em> “Danny Fenton where the hell are you?! Are you okay? Mom and Dad found your bed empty this morning and they’re acting super weird! And you don’t even have your phone?! How am I supposed to reach you if they start tearing up the town looking for you?” </em> Her voice was a bit panicked now, and he could only wonder what crazy things their parents were saying to freak her out like this.<br/><br/>“It’ll be fine, just send the text, tell them my phone died and it’s charging, and tell them I can’t talk because me and Tuck are doing some project, I dunno. I’m sure you can pretend to be me for a few hours. If the story changes just text Vlad’s cell.”<br/><br/>There was an incredulous sound. <em> “Hours-? You’re with </em> Vlad <em> right now?!” </em> Danny rolled his eyes, both at his sister’s tone and Vlad’s smarmy smirk.<br/><br/>“‘Kay-thanks-Jazz-bye!” He slammed the old phone down before she could say anything more, earning a slight glare from Vlad at the rough treatment of his belongings.<br/><br/>Danny breathed a sigh of relief, jumping at the unexpected feeling of a warm hand running through his hair and settling on the back of his neck. “Well done, Little Badger.”<br/><br/>He shrugged, a bit embarrassed at how much he enjoyed the praise, and the petting, but not so embarrassed that he didn’t lean into Vlad for more contact when the action brought them closer.<br/><br/>Just as he went to wrap his arms around Vlad a feeling of vertigo overtook him and then they were suddenly downstairs in the living room. Danny stumbled when Vlad stepped away, barely catching himself on the back of the couch.<br/><br/>“You really gotta warn me before you do that…” They could have just as easily floated down here!<br/><br/>Vlad just chuckled, the sound growing an echo when Vlad duplicated himself so one of him could find his jacket while the other cleaned the glass mess from the night before. For a moment he couldn’t look away from the scattered shards, Vlad’s tear-stained face from the night before appearing in his mind yet again.<br/><br/>He played it off when Vlad walked over and slid the cell phone into his palm. Danny typed in his number, not at all surprised that Vlad already had it saved in his contacts under ‘Little Badger', despite never having <em> shared </em> his number with the man, and he sent Jazz a text simply stating <em> ‘I’m fine.’ </em> with a thumbs up emoji.</p><p>No immediate texts back yet. Hopefully that was a good thing.<br/><br/>He was typing up another when his eyes drifted to his right to find Vlad still standing at his side, if not a bit behind him, so close that his chest almost touched Danny's shoulder. Their faces were just inches apart, but Vlad’s eyes weren’t meeting his, instead focused on the phone in his hands, very obviously trying to read any possible messages.<br/><br/><em> Nosy bastard. </em> But he found himself thinking it fondly as he watched the man’s face, taking in his features.<br/><br/>Danny admired him a moment longer before he locked the screen, and when Vlad looked up to meet his eyes he mistook the intensity he found there for indignation.<br/><br/>“It’s <em> my </em> phone, Daniel. I’m entitled to look at the messages.” Even as he said so he stepped back, not liking the somewhat smug look Danny wore now.<br/><br/>“Yeah, well, you’re not <em> entitled </em> to having my phone number when I didn’t give it to you, Fruit. <em> Loop </em> .” Vlad opened his mouth and closed it. That was fair, but Daniel already knew about his proclivity for illegal surveillance, and other such 'stalker-vibes', as he put it.<br/><br/>Besides, he’d had Daniel’s number for years now, so it was sort of old news at this point. He was about to say just that but cut off when Danny suddenly turned his body to face him, his smug expression still in place but with an almost predatory edge.<br/><br/>It was a look that made Vlad’s stomach flip.<br/><br/>He swallowed nervously and leaned back against the couch, unable to break away from the icy stare. He watched those eyes fall to his lips hungrily, then as Danny's tongue peaked out to wet his own, inching closer ever so slowly. </p><p>Vlad’s voice was little more than a shaky breath, “You should probably go soon, Little Badger.” <em> Before I keep you here… </em> <em><br/></em><br/>The conflict that passed through Vlad’s eyes was only briefly visible before it was hidden away behind a forced impassive expression, but Danny caught it nonetheless. He smirked, confidence significantly boosted, and he leaned into Vlad, rubbing their cheeks together as he hooked his fingers into Vlad’s belt loops and pulled the man's hips against, breathing into his ear.</p><p>“You don’t mean that." </p><p>He felt Vlad stiffen in his hold and barely withheld a triumphant grin. Watching the older halfa's brain short circuit when he didn’t know how to respond was probably one of the most satisfying feelings he’d ever experienced outside of orgasm and a full night’s sleep.<br/><br/>Flirting like this was fun, especially when it seemed to catch Vlad so off-guard, like it was the last thing he expected from Danny. It probably was, since he was better known for fumbling in the presence of his crushes. It was different with Vlad- he didn’t know why, but it was. He felt freer, like he could be his full self, and he’d been feeling bolder lately, probably ever since taking in so much of Vlad’s energy.<br/><br/>Poor track record aside, Vlad didn’t have to look <em> that </em> shocked. Danny knew he wasn’t the smoothest guy, but he thought he deserved more credit than that.<br/><br/>He could be suave or whatever.<br/><br/>The startling sound of someone clearing their throat brought their attention across the room where Vlad’s duplicate stood with a dustpan full of glass and a judgmentally raised brow, eyes jumping back and forth between Danny and its original. Danny inwardly laughed at that, Vlad judging himself.<br/><br/>That thought gave him an idea. If that was still Vlad…<br/><br/>He winked at the duplicate before nodding to the original and wiggling his brows, this time laughing outwardly when it blushed at the implications and glared at him before stomping off to finish its chore. He turned back to grin at Vlad who, having witnessed the whole thing, was fighting his own reaction to the mental images Danny had just put into his head.<br/><br/>Teenagers really were horny all the time…<br/><br/>His mind happily supplied that Danny was actually a consenting <em>adult</em> and he swallowed anxiously as he looked back at the younger man, his mind playing out scenarios in which his clone came back into the room and they bent Danny over the couch and-<br/><br/><em> God, </em> he was no better than a teenager…<br/><br/>“So you just use your powers for mundane, every day shit?” The sound of Danny’s voice pulled his mind from the gutter before it could delve too deep.<br/><br/>Danny’s mind had been there too at first, but seeing Vlad’s duplicate dump glass into the trash and put up the broom before putting his hands on his hips and poofing away had stolen his attention from the original with its sheer normalcy. </p><p>For some reason it was almost comical to Danny. He himself used his powers for little things like that- turning intangible to get rid of a mess, turning invisible to hide from Dash, he flew up to his room whenever he could get away with it, just to avoid the stairs.<br/><br/>For some reason he’d never thought about Vlad doing the same, like he was above such things in the first place. Chores were for regular folk, and Vlad was anything but. </p><p>Then again, he’d never seen a maid in any of the billionaire’s mansions, so…<br/><br/>Vlad gathered himself and hopped onto the distraction, pushing away any untoward thoughts and offering a dull shrug, saying the first thing to come to mind. “This is the hand I was dealt, I may as well play my best cards.”</p><p>He hadn't meant for it to sound so sad.</p><p>His defeated tone and far away eyes brought a concerned frown to Danny’s lips and he stepped back to get a better look at Vlad’s face. “Hey, so, uh, hate to kill the fun vibe we had going, but like, are you really okay? After yesterday?”<br/><br/>Vlad’s gaze remained far off for a moment before meeting Danny’s, his eyes narrowing slightly as he hesitated. He stared into them contemplatively for a moment, as if he was asking himself the same question.<br/><br/>“No. To be quite frank, I am far from okay, hence my current lackluster state.” He gestured from his tangled hair to his rumpled clothes with one elegant sweep of his hand.<br/><br/>“Yeah, stupid question I guess.” Danny pouted and moved closer, bringing his fingers up to Vlad’s face and faintly stroking the stubble of his cheek. “I don’t think I would be either. Sorry...”<br/><br/>Vlad heaved a sigh as he sat himself on the arm of the couch behind him, moving away from Danny’s too-soft touches so he could think. </p><p>“There is nothing for you to be sorry for. In fact, I do remember you jumping in to ‘save me’ a couple times." Danny changing the subject had only postponed the inevitable trip down memory lane for a few precious minutes, but the effort wasn't unnoticed. </p><p>"I’m charmed by the way, Daniel. Always the hero.” He sent the boy a wry smile. Vlad also remembered that jealous look in his eyes, but he’d save that teasing for later.<br/><br/>Danny had an odd look on his face, somewhere between confused and embarrassed, “I wasn’t ‘saving you’, I was…” Danny trailed off, averting his eyes.<br/><br/>Well actually he <em> had </em> been trying to save Vlad yesterday- from a potentially dangerous conversation, from painful memories, from his parents. The last one sort of shook him, having spent most of his ghostly life protecting <em> them </em> from <em> Vlad</em>. It was weird, but he didn’t like it when Vlad suffered. He used to, even if that felt like a lifetime ago...<br/><br/>But he’d always been a little too forgiving, and wasn’t saving people his shtick anyway? Feeling… protective made sense for a hero, and besides, and hadn't Clockwork <em> told </em>him to save Vlad from the beginning?</p><p>Did Clockwork know that it would turn out like this? Was this his plan all along?<br/><br/>Danny's thoughts briefly spiraled.<br/><br/>Vlad seemed to see that he’d hit a sore spot of some kind and he mercifully spoke again to reclaim Danny’s attention from whatever tangent he was losing himself in. “Truthfully, Little Badger, I wasn’t prepared for yesterday. It wasn’t how I ever planned to confront them.”<br/><br/>Danny blinked back to him, eyes wide and a bit alarmed. “You planned to tell my parents that you’re Plasmius?”<br/><br/>Vlad hesitated, running the tip of his tongue over one of his canine teeth repeatedly, and Danny’s eyes immediately dropped to Vlad’s mouth to catch a glimpse. Danny thought it looked like a nervous, contemplative action, as if the other halfa was thinking about lying to him.<br/><br/>Vlad sighed, eventually deciding against it. “At one point, yes, I did. Before you, I had always envisioned a grand reveal where I punished them for what they made me into. Jack’s last moments would be watching a monster sweep your mother off her feet and I would feel that sweet vindication. I would have finally avenged my own death.” His voice was quiet, almost resigned.<br/><br/>He stared blankly at Danny’s neck, as it was currently at eye level from where he sat on the side of the couch, and his shoulders sagged.<br/><br/>The lost look on his face reminded Danny of the dream he’d seen when he rescued the older halfa from prison. He looked like the Vlad that had been hiding under the table while Plasmius chomped dream-Danny and set everything ablaze.<br/><br/>“It was my evil plot for years, and now…” He  stared at his hands in his lap and shook his head, at a loss. “This has changed my entire life.”<br/><br/>Danny frowned and stepped closer to Vlad, his fingers bumping the man’s knee. “But doesn’t it feel… better? Not to hate them? Or is hating them better?” He didn’t really get it...</p><p>But he wanted to.<br/><br/>He knew how miserable Vlad had been over the years, so he figured <em> not </em> being consumed with hate and resentment would be worlds better than the bitter alternative, but Vlad didn’t sound like he felt that way. Danny watched him purse his lips in thought like he was trying to figure out how to best explain, like Vlad really wanted him to understand. It made Danny feel strangely light.<br/><br/>“It’s definitely simpler. Familiar. My ambitions have been derailed. Everything I did after the explosion had always had <em> something </em> to do with Jack and Madeleine. Now I just… wish things had been different, or perhaps that things would go back to the way they were back when we were in school, but I’m stuck. Life as Plasmius feels like all I know.” It was strange to say it out loud, to admit that he actually missed the way things had been so long ago, especially to Daniel.<br/><br/>“How are your evil schemes better than having your old friends back?” Danny was trying to understand, he really was. This was a big deal for Vlad and his parents and he could tell. He hadn’t known they were <em> that </em> close until recently, even until now with hearing Vlad talk about his mom and dad like this. Danny wasn’t particularly keen on sharing the man with them, obviously, but after what he saw yesterday he knew Vlad needed to figure this out with his parents for the sake of his sanity, and perhaps even theirs.<br/><br/>Vlad closed his eyes, his tired head lulling to the side a bit. “I told you, it’s not better, it’s… simpler. It was easier to hate them. It made sense and it felt right and justified, and I didn’t care about how it affected anyone else.”<br/><br/>Danny watched the emotions play across the man’s face, undeniably pleased that Vlad was allowing him to witness them. He ran his fingers up and down the side of the man’s thigh soothingly, trying to coax more out of him. He channeled his inner Jazz and pressed on.</p><p>“You said ‘was’. ‘It <em> was </em> easier to hate them.’ How do you feel now?”<br/><br/>“I don’t <em> know </em> how I feel now.” Vlad paused and took a deep breath, trying to minimize the frustration seeping into his voice. Daniel’s soft touches helped calm him, if not distract him, and he wondered if Danny was doing it for that very purpose. “I can’t differentiate what feelings are mine or yours, or what is merely tinged with your ‘forgiving nature and good will’. I remember what it's like to hate Jack and want Maddie, but it's just that- it feels like a memory. Then there’s the drastic change <em> our </em> relationship has taken… I can’t tell what’s real anymore.”<br/><br/>Danny didn’t like the mocking tone Vlad used to describe his good will and nature but he let it slide, his brain latching onto the very last part of what the man said instead.<br/><br/>“Isn’t it all real?” He knew their connection played a huge part in their new understanding of each other, but even if he were straight up injecting his emotions into the man’s veins there was still no way that these feelings didn’t come from within Vlad in at least some respect. </p><p>He hoped.<br/><br/>Vlad raised a brow. He didn't seem to follow so he let Danny continue. “I just mean, like, all feelings are influenced by outside things. We just happen to feel those influences from each other internally instead of externally, right?” Vlad frowned.<br/><br/>“It’s more than that, Little Badger. You aren’t just changing my feelings, you’re changing <em> me </em> . I don't feel like myself anymore. You’re changing my nature and how I respond to certain things little by little, as I am changing you. I may have been fixated on you before the feeding began, but it wasn’t… like this.” Vlad glanced at the noticeable absence of personal space between them to prove his point. He hadn’t wanted Daniel quite this close before, but now...</p><p>"I like <em>this</em>. You do too." Danny leaned into him and pushed closer. "What’s so bad about it? Why are you fighting how you feel?" He wanted Vlad to embrace the change and run with it, not only because he wanted to see what kind of person Vlad could become, but also because Danny knew he would feel so much better without the burden of revenge weighing him down.<br/><br/>“Stop pretending to be this villain you’re not. Stop clinging to how you <em>used </em>to feel and focus on doing what feels right<em> in the</em> <em>now</em>.” </p><p>Vlad glared. He was <em> trying</em>. Living in the moment didn’t come naturally to him, not like it might for healthy individuals, and the influx of intense emotions made it difficult for him to work through his thoughts in a removed and calculated manner. </p><p>He found himself snapping, “Please, Daniel, you can't just go about doing whatever you <em> feel </em> like-” He stopped, taken aback his own words, and not for the first time since this all began.<br/><br/>Wasn’t that what <em> he’d </em> always done? Whatever he wanted, whatever he felt like. He inwardly groaned and rolled his eyes as Danny’s smug expression from before made an obnoxious comeback. </p><p>“You see, Daniel, that right there is a perfect example. That’s not something I’d say and you know it.” Danny shrugged as he lifted his hand and Vlad felt fingers playing in his hair like they’d been doing earlier in bed. </p><p>“But you did say it, and you felt it, so it’s there. It’s a part of you, just like all your nasty villain junk. I’m not saying that you should forget all of that, I’m just saying you don’t have to fight the new stuff.” Vlad was silent, fixing his eyes on the bright red collar of Danny’s shirt and zoning out instead of responding.<br/><br/>Danny smirked at the petulant expression on his face. “I think you're just scared.” </p><p><em> That </em> got a response.<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes immediately snapped up with an affronted glare at the accusation. “Scared? And what is it that I’m scared of?” He sneered.<br/><br/>Danny fixed him with a flat stare, his fingers falling from the man’s hair to list on his hand what seemed like Vlad’s most obvious fears. “Scared to forgive them, scared to move on with your life. Scared to care about someone other than yourself.” <em> Me . </em>“I think you’re scared of change.”<br/><br/>Vlad pressed his lips into a fine line as he regarded Danny. Was he truly so transparent?<br/><br/>Daniel wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t completely right, was he?<br/><br/>His purpose this entire time had been a pursuit of change, but only if he could change his life in a very particular way- Jack gone and Maddie at his side with Daniel.<br/><br/>But he knew what Daniel meant, because now that decades-long mission seemed meaningless now since his interest in killing Jack and wedding Maddie had all but died, and these changes <em> were </em> scary, to have veered so far from his carefully plotted path, to have somehow ended up <em> here </em>. </p><p>What next? What was he working towards? Did he even have a goal in mind? Any purpose?<br/><br/>What was driving him right now but Daniel?<br/><br/>That was an unnerving thought too. He had no direction for the first time in decades, and the only person he’d been able to think about lately was currently pressing his forehead to Vlad’s, taking up even more of his time and attention.<br/><br/>And he liked it.<br/><br/>And it was exciting… but that was still scary for some reason.<br/><br/>So maybe Daniel <em> was </em> right. </p><p>He was scared.<br/><br/>He pulled his face away from Danny’s and laughed, the sound empty. “When this first started, I was so horrified at the thought that you would be able to see inside my mind or something of the like, as if you would be able to read me or sense what was going through my head.” Vlad tipped his head down a bit, staring at his hands in his lap again. “Then when we discovered what was <em> actually </em> happening I actually found myself disappointed, as that was not the case, and that confused me greatly.”<br/><br/>Danny frowned, remembering the sweltering indignation pulsing from Vlad’s core yesterday. It kind of <em> was </em> the case. He couldn’t read his thoughts, but Danny was pretty sure he’d <em> felt </em> Vlad’s distress yesterday, and his own core practically leaked out of him to soothe that distress.<br/><br/>So he could definitely sense Vlad about as well as the man feared.<br/><br/>He still hadn’t told Vlad about the recent development, that his original fear had come true to some extent, but Vlad kept going before Danny could even begin to figure out how to slip mention of that little phenomenon in.<br/><br/>“In the beginning it all felt so clinical. I was more upset by the idea that the exchange was forcing a connection from what I thought was a <em> biological </em> response, as if the ensuing feelings transmitted through it weren't legitimate or valid, but I…” Vlad hesitated, eyes still downcast, his pause long enough for Danny to daringly place a finger under his chin and guide the man’s face up to where he could see it.<br/><br/>Vlad stared into Danny’s eyes, his own narrowed thoughtfully as he continued. “I suppose it stopped feeling that way after a while, mostly because of how badly I think I wanted it to. I don't know if it's because of the continued feeding or if I…” He couldn’t find the courage to finish, much less the words, despite his typical eloquence. What could he say?<br/><br/>Daniel seemed decently capable of expressing his affections, but Vlad still had a hard time acknowledging said feelings aloud without feeling utterly exposed. He’d wanted Daniel for a long time, in more ways than one, and this newest desire seemed to burn even hotter than the others, but he couldn’t ever say any of that out loud.</p><p>He tried to say it another way instead, a way Danny might even appreciate more.<br/><br/>His arm curled around Danny’s middle and pulled him flush against Vlad, leaving Danny to stand between his legs as the man’s other hand crept down the back of his thigh and back up teasingly. The soft material of his basketball shorts proved to be a pathetic barrier from the heat of Vlad’s hands, but he still found himself wanting to rip them off so Vlad could touch his skin instead. Danny stared at the man’s lips once more as they began to move again, hesitantly.<br/><br/>“Perhaps I <em> am </em> afraid of change. It’s not in my nature to give in to it so easily. But these were changes I could never have predicted. I can't say I want Jack <em> dead </em> anymore,” Lord knows the man would only follow Vlad around the afterlife for eternity. “I... don't think I want Maddie as my wife... and…” Danny followed Vlad’s gaze down between them as the man’s hand kneaded its way back up Danny’s thigh far too pleasantly.<br/><br/>One of his dark brows raised in interest at the shiver he both saw and felt from Daniel. He rested his wandering hand on Danny’s hip and began drawing small circles just below the waistband of his shorts with his thumb, all the while watching Danny’s flushed, ever expressive face almost reverently. “Well, this isn't exactly how I'd touch someone I considered a son.”<br/><br/>Danny felt a familiar heat pooling low in his stomach and he squirmed in Vlad’s hold, not wanting the man to feel how those words had weirdly gone straight to his dick.</p><p>He swallowed, having actually salivated, and opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out, all of the blood in his brain having evacuated to other places. Luckily Vlad continued, leaning back a bit and smiling faintly, fondly, as if he couldn’t see how affected Danny was by the suggestive caresses.</p><p>“It’s all your fault, Little Badger. You're taking over my mind and my core, and…" <em> My heart. </em> </p><p>Good lord, no, it was nothing like <em> that</em>.</p><p>That would mean Vlad was in far too deep, and would be even more so when Danny eventually outgrew him.</p><p>But…</p><p>"Perhaps letting go of the past and appreciating the <em> present </em> could be worth all the trouble.” He gave Danny a suggestive once-over at the word ‘present’, the look eliciting a poorly hidden tremor from the other halfa.<br/><br/>It was taking Danny a while to break down everything Vlad was saying, his mind a little unfocused in that moment, but he eventually caught up with what it all might mean. He wanted to feel elated with this ‘breakthrough’ but it was hard to feel anything other than hot with how Vlad was touching him. </p><p>First he said he was letting go. Danny didn't think it would be as simple as that, and he didn't expect to see Vlad over for dinner or chatting it up with his parents any time soon. Letting go would be a process.</p><p>As for the latter half, he at least understood that <em> he </em> was the ‘present’, so did it mean that Vlad would take him seriously? It meant Vlad at least liked him back, right?<br/><br/>Right?<br/><br/>He brought his hands to Vlad’s face, moving close again as his thumbs stroked the man’s unshaven cheeks, no longer able to resist the urge he’d been fighting since they woke up. Vlad was surprised, but he hid it better this time, sitting up straighter on the arm of the couch as he studied the pretty bedroom eyes Danny was giving him. They flashed green before closing slowly, and Vlad’s followed shortly after when he felt soft lips press against his own, his hold around Danny tightening as the boy hummed pleasantly against his mouth. It was a sound he was coming to love.<br/><br/>He nipped the boy's lower lip and gasped when he was suddenly pushed back, reflexively moving away and further up the couch in response, as if under attack. In a sense, he was. Danny actually chuckled as he crawled onto the couch and over Vlad’s sprawled form, staring down at him from above not unlike he had upon their last feeding. Was Daniel hungry right now? It looked like it.<br/><br/>“I’ve been wanting to do that all morning.” Danny raised up to his knees on the couch, pulling Vlad up to him by the collar of his dress shirt and stealing another kiss. Vlad pushed back, not to be outdone by some brat, and pulled his legs from under Danny to move so that he could remain upright. He half knelt on the couch with one foot braced on the ground so as not to fall back, because when he began to return the kiss, Danny melted in his arms like dead weight.<br/><br/>Vlad pulled away and smirked at the glazed look in the boy’s eyes, his hands trailing up and down Danny’s sides. “You seem to enjoy pushing me on my back lately.”<br/><br/>He expected a blush or some embarrassed sputtering, but instead Danny grabbed his hips and ground them against his, revealing just how aroused they both were. His tone was smooth and cocksure. “You look pretty there, Masters…”<br/><br/>Vlad groaned and reached up to fist his hand into Danny’s inky black hair before taking his mouth again. Danny’s hands were untucking the rest of his dress shirt so he could snake his finger’s under Vlad’s clothes. He’d managed to get Vlad’s vest undone so his hands could roam unrestricted, and Danny’s fingernails dug into Vlad’s skin delightfully whenever Vlad pulled too hard on his hair.<br/><br/>Vlad’s other hand moved down his back, stopping his descent when his fingers dipped under the elastic of Danny’s shorts. He teasingly tugged the waistband down an inch, swallowing a moan when Danny rocked their hips together again in response. He used his grip in Danny’s hair to tug his head to the side so he could have at the boy’s neck, slowly trailing love bites down to the base of his throat, his lips feeling the vibrations of all the little sounds Danny was trying to stifle.<br/><br/>“Daniel…” It came out more desperate than he would have liked, but he was pleased with the effect it seemed to have on Danny, feeling the boy shiver in response. He slipped his hand beneath the waistband of Danny’s shorts, biting down a bit as he grabbed Danny’s ass over his boxer-briefs. He thought he’d crossed a line when Danny made a short whining sound and pushed at his chest, and Vlad quickly jerked his hands back and made to remove himself from the boy, but Danny didn’t let him get very far.<br/><br/>He held Vlad by his belt, leaning in again so that their faces were inches apart once more. His lidded eyes searched Vlad’s face before settling on his lips. Vlad was confused at the mixed signals but not deterred, leaning in again for another kiss only to freeze when he felt Danny’s other hand join the one on his belt. He kept Danny’s intense gaze for a moment, then his eyes fell shut and his breath left him completely when that hand moved even lower, sliding over the front of his pants and squeezing him deliciously.<br/><br/>Danny let out a shaky sigh, partly nerves, partly relief that Vlad hadn’t stopped him because <em> fuck </em> he needed this. He hadn’t realized just how badly until Vlad had started touching back and sucking on his neck, but he was pent <em> up,</em> and lord knows Vlad was too after all these years. The fact that he’d made the man this hard was enough to drive Danny crazy, and he could feel Vlad’s fingers digging into his hips now, unable to decide whether to push him away and pull him closer.</p><p>Danny decided to make it easier for him.<br/><br/>“You want me…” Danny said it against Vlad’s lips knowingly, because he could feel the proof of that fact <em> right there</em>. Vlad wanted him back, and while yes, he’d already admitted it to some degree earlier, it was more real for Danny to feel that physical evidence. There would be no acting aloof or denying it now.<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes opened slightly upon Danny’s whisper, and he unconsciously kissed him again, the fingers he’d been digging into Danny’s hips disappearing beneath the elastic once more, pushing the material down over Danny’s hips a few more inches.<br/><br/>His voice was a hushed groan as Danny’s hand slowly stroked him over his pants. “... I do.” <br/><br/>There was a shameful note in the response, like Vlad was still warring with himself over the confession, but it was enough for younger halfa. He <em>knew</em> Vlad wanted him.<br/><br/>Danny grinned, the look in his eyes making the expression carry much more sex appeal than it should have. </p><p>“That’s good, because I want you too, and if we both want each other, then this is perfectly fine.” And Vlad really would have argued as he usually did but Danny slammed their mouths together again, his hands frantically fussing with his belt while Vlad gave in and pulled his shorts down to pool at his knees.<br/><br/>He grabbed at Danny’s ass again, unsure if he’d ever get enough of it. His other hand slid down Danny’s thigh before trailing his unholy touch up the inside, waiting until Danny got his belt undone to actually touch him where he wanted it.<br/><br/>Danny broke the kiss to glance down, pulling the belt from the buckle and making quick work of unbuttoning and unzipping him. His reward was Vlad’s warm hand cupping the mind-numbing hardness that still strained against his underwear. Danny bit his lip but it did little to smother the humiliating whimper that escaped him, his head falling to Vlad’s shoulder as he looked down to watch Vlad begin to massage him, the man’s contented sigh blending with Danny’s breathy moans.<br/><br/>Then Vlad was kissing his neck again, and the fingers of his other hand were slipping beneath his underwear and teasing between his cheeks, something Danny didn’t know he’d be so into. It was too much. It had been way too long since he’d last jerked off, and he was about to come embarrassingly fast if he didn’t do something.<br/><br/>His trembling hands experimentally groped at Vlad again until he built the courage to sneak one of them beneath the man’s silky boxers and wrap his fingers around Vlad’s shaft. He felt Vlad’s entire body stiffen against him, the harsh sucking at his neck ceasing as the man gasped, leaning back to eye Danny cautiously for a moment before diving in to reclaim his lips again.<br/><br/>Vlad slid Danny’s boxer-briefs down slowly, only stopping once the elastic was over the curve of his ass. He kneaded the bare flesh, absolutely drunk off the feeling of touching Daniel like this, being touched by Daniel like this. Those searching hands hesitantly stroked Vlad’s shaft, setting a torturous pace while Danny’s tongue slid between his lips to taste his own.<br/><br/>Vlad moaned appreciatively into the kiss, mercifully freeing Danny’s cock from the confines of its cloth prison so his thumb could play in the precum already beading at the tip. This time he was the one to break their kiss so he could take in the sight before him, wanting to burn this memory into his mind forever. Danny nearly naked and completely flushed, panting and painfully hard in Vlad's hand as he worked the boy, fully at each other's mercy.<br/><br/>Danny’s eyes were glowing green again, one of his hands holding Vlad’s underwear down while his other hand quickened its pace, twisting masterfully at the tip after hearing the man’s voice break the first time he did it.<br/><br/>Vlad began pumping Danny at a similar pace, bringing his other hand up to lick at his middle finger before snaking it back behind Danny, the action going unnoticed until Danny felt the wetness of it sliding against his entrance, rubbing and pressing in time with Vlad’s strokes. A sharp cry escaped him as his orgasm took him by surprise, thrusting into Vlad’s hand as he rode it out against the man’s chest, his own hands faltering in their ministrations. <br/><br/>Feeling Danny spasming against his fingers would have been enough to send him over the edge, especially since the boy was stroking him again, and his eyes fell shut when he felt his own oncoming release.<br/><br/>Then Danny did something unexpected.<br/><br/>With his eyes closed he could only feel as Danny shifted against him, removing himself from Vlad’s thoroughly messed hands and moving back. Vlad’s eyes snapped open upon feeling the wet heat that engulfed the head of his cock and cursed under his breath when he looked down to see Danny experimentally run the flat of his tongue along the underside. He wanted nothing more than to push into that heat but instead Vlad reached down with his cleaner hand and pulled Danny up by the hair, narrowly saving him from a face full of come as he released onto the boy's shirt. Danny carefully stroked him through it, still panting from the rush of his own release as he pressed kisses to the man’s face until Vlad's lips finally found his and returned them.<br/><br/>He slumped against the back of the couch, still lazily kissing Vlad as they came down from their high. When the two parted they sat on the couch for a moment, just staring at each other, neither quite believing what had just transpired between them.</p><p>Danny had no idea what came over him, especially there at the end, when he'd put Vlad Masters’ <em> cock </em> in his <em> fucking mouth. </em></p><p>Holy shit, what was he thinking? </p><p>He'd done it while under that post-orgasm haze, but it had still been <em> his </em> impulse, and <em> his </em> decision to act on that impulse. It was another one of those 'heat of the moment' things, mostly fueled by horniness and curiosity, and he hadn’t hated it… In fact, he wanted to try it again, hopefully without getting pulled away by his hair next time.</p><p>Though that had been kinda hot too…<br/><br/>Was he gay? This seemed a little gayer than the ‘not straight’ label he’d settled on, but he probably couldn’t talk to Tucker or anyone about it without revealing how far things were progressing between him and Vlad, in turn revealing how he’d kept things from them again. <br/><br/>All he knew right then was that he wanted to do that again, and that probably wouldn't go over well if he told his friends.<br/><br/>Eventually Danny cleared his throat and put those thoughts away for later, not quite ready to sort all that out just yet, and turned his soiled shirt intangible before pulling it off and wadding it up.<br/><br/>“I, uh, I’m gonna need to borrow a shirt to go home…” He trailed off lamely. It was all he could think to say and he wanted to smash his head against a wall. </p><p>Luckily Vlad didn’t mind his awkwardness. He chuckled and grabbed for the shirt, using it to wipe the semen from his hand before teleporting away with it, leaving Danny sprawled on the couch for a moment. When he returned Danny noticed that Vlad was tucked away and his pants were refastened, his vest and Danny's shirt nowhere to be seen. Danny quickly shoved himself into his shorts and pulled them back up with bright red cheeks as Vlad addressed him.<br/><br/>“I can wash and return that to you, if you must have it back.” </p><p>Danny snorted at the odd phrasing, if not at the slightly disgusted tone in which it was spoken, “Nah, you can keep it in your shrine with all the other bits of my DNA you have lying around.” </p><p>Vlad didn't dignify the comment with a response, making Danny wonder if he really did have a shrine, but a dark green sweater was thrown at his face before he could confirm the theory.<br/><br/>“You can wear this. It’s the only thing I have that’s closer to your size and isn’t terribly obviously mine.” He’d had the sweater since college when he was a bit smaller in build, and it didn’t have any monograms or Packers logos on it so it would have to do. It was so old that he couldn’t remember where it came from but it had actually been one of his favorite sweaters before he had money, so watching Danny put it on made something flutter in his chest for a moment.<br/><br/>Danny tugged it over his head, jumping when Vlad appeared to help pull it down. “It looks nice on you, Little Badger.” </p><p>Danny smiled enchantingly, smoothing it out. It smelled like Vlad. “It’s cozy.” He said simply, suddenly feeling shy as he tried to find his next words. “Hey, um… Can I, we-”<br/><br/>Vlad tousled his hair, pulling his head close to kiss his forehead before leaning back and patting Danny’s cheek playfully. “Yes? Whatever could be on your mind after that?” Danny rolled his eyes at the man’s knowing smirk, taking the hand from his face and squeezing Vlad’s fingers.<br/><br/>He didn’t want to sound corny, and he really didn’t want to make things awkward, but he wanted some reassurance that Vlad understood how serious he was, especially to have gotten so… physical with the man. </p><p>He didn't know why discussing what they'd done seemed scarier than actually doing it, but it was. He hadn’t ever even gone that far with anyone, not beneath the clothes, and he and Vlad had just <em> gotten each other off,</em> so it was probably something that should be talked about.<br/><br/>He cleared his throat again, and he kept having to remind himself to maintain eye contact, all of his bravado from earlier apparently abandoning him with his release.</p><p>He fumbled, “So, that, uh… I know that probably wasn’t a big deal for you, but I... For me-”<br/><br/>Vlad stopped him, voice rather serious. “Trust me, Daniel, that was a ‘big deal’ for the both of us, and it was not something I take lightly.” If Danny had some idea that Vlad thought the encounter frivolous then he was sorely mistaken. He’d never gotten intimate with someone he’d had feelings for, since all his feelings had been reserved for Maddie, but now that he’d had a little piece of that heaven all he could think about was the next time he could undo the boy again.<br/><br/>Danny only looked a little relieved at his response. “Cool. Yeah, on the same page, cool…” He looked down at Vlad’s hand, playing with the man’s fingers until Vlad pulled them free and walked to the kitchen to wash his hands. Danny trailed behind him, blankly watching the entire process while lost in his own head.<br/><br/>“Yes, Daniel?” He grabbed a kitchen towel to dry his hands, furtively amused by Danny’s nervous hovering. Vlad watched him fidget with the hem of the sweater before speaking up, a hopeful, but uneasy look on his face.<br/><br/>“I just… I was wondering, y-you know… Heh, <em> ‘what are we?’</em>” </p><p><em> God </em> what a stupid fucking question. He wanted to take it back, or maybe sink into the floor until Vlad forgot he ever said anything.<br/><br/>There was the briefest, smallest smirk on Vlad’s face before it was schooled into an innocent, impassive expression.<br/><br/>“We’re ghosts, Daniel.” He deadpanned, a mirthful gleam in his eyes twinkling when Danny scoffed and glared, doing his very best not to smile himself.<br/><br/>“Okay, good one, but you know what I mean, Fruit Loop…” He tried to hang on to being annoyed so he wouldn't have to feel so awkward about saying some of these things, and while Vlad's playfulness was helping, if not distracting, Danny still wanted to know what he was thinking.<br/><br/>Vlad leaned back against the counter and considered Danny with an airy, unreadable expression, making him feel weirdly self conscious about how he was standing for a moment. He brushed off the urge to correct his posture, seem bigger or taller, and focused on keeping eye contact with the older man.<br/><br/>Vlad’s face softened further after what could have been the longest minute of his life, and the look seemed to help Danny relax a bit. “Just say what’s on your mind, Little Badger.”<br/><br/>Danny took a long, deep breath, setting his jaw and pinching his brows in an earnest, determined expression, as if he took what Vlad said as a challenge.<br/><br/>“I like kissing you. A lot.” He paused, biting the inside of his lip before continuing. “I liked laying in bed with you, and I <em> really </em> like touching you...” Danny could feel his face begin to tingle warmly but he pushed on, “Being around you is really different now, in a lot of ways. I like when we’re alone and we can talk freely, and sometimes I even liked fighting you- on the rare occasion that we weren’t actually mad and trying to kill each other. I like your stupid evil laugh-”<br/><br/>“My laugh is not <em> stupid!"</em> <br/><br/>“-and I especially like how easy it is to get under your skin…” Danny smirked, beginning to feel much more at ease after saying all of these things out loud to the man.<br/><br/>Vlad grumbled, looking away. “That’s just <em> you.</em>”<br/><br/>“I like that it’s just me.” Danny said without missing a beat, sending him another hopeful look when Vlad raised his eyes again. “I don’t want anyone else to do those things with you, and I don’t want to do them with anyone else, so...”<br/><br/>Vlad’s brows raised at the possessive tone and he brought one of his fingers up as if in epiphany. Sarcastic epiphany. “Ah, I see. You must be worried about all of the <em> other </em> ghost boy-toys lined up for my affection.”<br/><br/>It wasn't as funny as he anticipated, because Danny gave a dry snort before quietly muttering to himself, “More like my mom…”<br/><br/>Vlad heard him despite the hushed tone, and the ensuing silence was uncomfortably heavy, and a little bit too long. His frown changed from somewhat stricken and confused to genuinely concerned and almost apologetic. Vlad sighed and stepped closer until he was near enough to tentatively reach out and stroke Danny’s jaw with his thumb, settling his hand on the side of the younger half-ghost's pale neck. He traced over one of the red, splotchy marks that disappeared below the collar of his sweater, his eyes following his hands before moving to meet Danny’s again.<br/><br/>Danny shifted uncomfortably under Vlad's silent stare, “Look, sorry, that was probably passive aggressive. I shouldn’t have even said that, I know that's a lot to unpack, especially after yesterday, and it’s weird and awkward but I keep thinking about it, which is weirder, and I know I’m rambling but-”<br/><br/>“Whatever you want, Daniel.”<br/><br/>Danny stopped short and blinked owlishly, “Huh?”<br/><br/>Vlad smiled patiently. “To answer your <em> 'what are we?' </em> question. We can be whatever you want us to be.” </p><p>"Really?" Danny's expression brightened when Vlad nodded again. "Okay. Yeah, awesome." </p><p>The older halfa stared at him expectantly before smiling again, inwardly chuckling at the pounding of Danny's pulse against his fingers.</p><p>"So? What exactly did you have in mind, Little Badger?" </p><p>Danny laughed a little hysterically, still not believing his ears. “Oh, right. I was thinking... I dunno, being officially exclusive?” Vlad chuckled.<br/><br/>“‘Officially’ to whom, Daniel?” It wasn’t like they could go public.<br/><br/>Danny shrugged, reaching up to hold Vlad’s wrist when he tried to pull his hand away. “To us.” They didn’t have to tell anyone, but they’d know, and that’s what really mattered to Danny.<br/><br/>Vlad looked thoughtful, then playful again. “You just want to call me yours.” He was simply referencing Danny’s possessive behavior from the day before when the boy's mother had referred to him as 'our Vladdy’.<br/><br/>He certainly didn’t expect Danny to agree so honestly, shrugging again before nodding. “Yeah, that’s probably true." Vlad felt the grip around his wrist tighten, like Danny thought he might run away. He huffed another nervous chuckle. "So, uh… Boyfriends?”<br/><br/>Danny flinched at Vlad’s incredulous laugh, the sudden volume and evil ring to the sound being unexpected after the hushed voices they’d unconsciously been speaking in. It wasn’t particularly mean-spirited, but it definitely didn’t instill confidence.<br/><br/>Vlad reined himself in, though his smile was still fondly amused. “It’s as simple as that?” Danny shrugged again, releasing Vlad’s wrists to shove both of his hands in his pockets.<br/><br/>“It can be. If you want.” </p><p>He didn't agree. Nothing was ever that simple, especially for him. Daniel would learn that the hard way, but Vlad had tried to warn him, so maybe the hard way was the only way Danny knew how to learn.</p><p>Vlad paused, blinking once, then twice before eventually nodding with a small, subdued smile. </p><p>"Alright Daniel." </p><p>Vlad's cellphone vibrated against one of his hands and he pulled it out, reading one missed call and six texts from Jazz. He winced.</p><p>Vlad was still quite close, so he saw the notifications. They both braced themselves as they read her messages.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ok I sent them your texts. You've been at Tucker's with Sam working on a project and you didn't know your phone died. Said you'd be home by 3. Will delete. </em>
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</p><p>He and Vlad both noted the time at the corner of the screen and sighed in relief. Only a quarter to two.</p><p>They read on.<br/><br/></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> They keep calling your phone. It's literally buzzing as I type this. Gonna hide it under your bed. Will delete. </em>
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  <em>
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</p><p>The next text came from Jazz's own number.</p><p>
  <br/>
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  <em> It's me. I went to my room and not five minutes later mom and dad were in your room moving stuff around. They're arguing, but not yelling like usual. </em>
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  <em>
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</p><p><em> I think they found your phone. I deleted everything after yesterday so no worries. You really need a harder passcode btw. </em> <em><br/></em></p><p><em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Hopefully they just think your phone’s haunted. Also, a reply would be nice. </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> Danny? </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> “I’m so dead…” He dialed the voicemail and selected the most recent message, from only about twenty minutes prior. He brought the phone to his ear, huffing a short laugh through his nose when Vlad leaned in to listen. He wondered when that became endearing.<br/><br/>Danny snaked his arm around Vlad’s waist and rested against him as the message played.<br/><em><br/></em> <em> “Danny! I think they know I sent those texts. I came out of my room and they immediately locked themselves in the basement, and some of us can’t walk through walls, so… I dunno, they’re acting weird, even for them. I know you have ghost drama right now but you need to get here, pronto.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Danny sighed, placing the phone on the counter and wrapping his other arm around Vlad. “Yep. Definitely dead.” He gave Vlad a pouty look. “You’ll come to my funeral, right?”<br/><br/>Vlad’s right arm squeezed Danny back, his left forming a bright pink flame in its palm. “I’ll cremate you myself, dear boy.”<br/><br/>Danny snorted, “I knew I could count on you, Plasmius.” Vlad grinned, dispelling the flame with a wave of his hand before grabbing his phone and pocketing it. After a moment his grin faded.<br/><br/>“As fun as this little to and fro always is, you really should be going, Daniel.”<br/><br/>He normally would have been hurt by the terse tone, but Vlad’s face very clearly stated how much he didn’t want Danny to go. He unwound his arms from the older halfa and transformed. “Yeah, I know. Just don’t mope around and drink all day.”<br/><br/>Vlad scoffed, “How could I? If you find me incapacitated again there’s no telling what you’ll do to me now.” Danny turned bright red. Would the man ever forget about the lab kiss?<br/><br/>“Low blow. That was <em> one </em> time.” He groaned as Vlad laughed at him again. “Whatever, I’ll see you later, Fruit Loop.” He turned intangible and made to fly when he was stopped by an equally intangible hand around his wrist.<br/><br/>“Wait. Come to my castle tomorrow, if you can. We can start your training.” His excitement must have shown on his face because Vlad’s nervous, hopeful smile turned into an amused grin. “Then it’s a date.” He teased.<br/><br/>Danny absolutely beamed. “Fight date! Hell yeah!” He flew back down to give Vlad one last kiss before disappearing through the kitchen ceiling, leaving the man to stare after him in wonder. He brought a hand to his lips when disbelieving giggles began to spill from them. <em> Giggles. </em><br/><br/>That boy would be the second death of him.<br/><br/>Danny flew at top speed through the posh neighborhoods of the upper end of Amity Park, already halfway home and unable to slow down if he wanted to. He was dating Vlad Masters now. Plasmius.<br/><br/>They were <em> together.</em> <br/><br/>Vlad was his <em> boyfriend.</em><br/><br/>Vlad being anyone’s boyfriend was a silly thought. Being <em> Danny Fenton’s </em> was hysterical.<br/><br/>He shook his head, slowing his flight when he began to approach his neighborhood all too soon. He had a boyfriend. A forty year old, billionaire, half-ghost boyfriend who happened to be the mayor and his ex-nemesis. And his parent’s best friend.<br/><br/>That last part always made it so much worse.<br/><br/>He shrugged as he descended into an alley and transformed back into Fenton. His life in general was already so goddamn weird, why not his romantic life too?</p><p>His walk home was just as short as his flight, and before he knew it he was walking up the steps to the front door. He took a deep breath and turned the knob.<br/><br/>This is fine. It would be fine. He was about to face his parents after being out all night and messing around with their old college pal. He’d been caught in a lie, breaking multiple house rules, and coupled with his attitude the last few weeks, he was sure he was about to get reamed.<br/><br/>Maybe for once the universe would take pity on him and send some ghost to attack.<br/><br/>Or maybe if he was really lucky they would be down in the lab and he could just sneak upstairs without facing them.<br/><br/>Maybe they wouldn’t even be home?<br/><br/>The door creaked loudly as he pushed it open.<br/><br/>“Daniel. James. <em> Fenton."</em> <br/><br/>Yeah, he never was all that lucky.<br/><br/><br/></p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yay boyfriends</p><p>Danny gets a little gay daddy, as a treat.</p><p>Please comment it fuels me. Share your thoughts and suffer with me :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The Whiplash</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Poor Danny has a LOT of explaining to do, but Vlad might too... Rat bastard can never be trusted...</p><p>Or can he? Maybe?     ʅ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ʃ</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Heyyyy remember when I used to update like weekly? Those were the days, huh?<br/>Hopefully this long boi chapter makes up for it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/><br/>“Daniel. James. <em> Fenton.</em>”<br/><br/>His shoulders rose to his ears as he slinked in and shut the door behind him before turning to face his parents.<br/><br/>They were at the end of the stairs, like they’d been waiting there for him. His father still had half a foot on him in height, and while he was taller than his mother, her stern and disapproving frown was enough to make him feel small again. He was almost glad she wore her safety goggles so he didn't have to look her in the eyes. His father wore an indiscernible expression, which was even more unnerving considering how easy to read he normally was.</p><p>Their bodies were tense, and they stared at him expectantly, obviously waiting for him to explain himself.<br/><br/>“Uh, I’m here before three?” Evidently <em> not </em> the right thing to say.<br/><br/>Maddie sputtered furiously, “<em>Here before- </em>Danny. I know that you’re eighteen now, but what on God’s green earth made you think you could stay out all night without telling a soul?” </p><p>Her eyes looked panicked, and he realized that she was actually scared. He looked up at his Dad and back to his mom and got a bad feeling. Jazz was right, they really <em> were </em> being weird.</p><p>But scared... Why scared?</p><p>This definitely wasn't his first time getting caught after sneaking out, or lying to them, it was an inevitability that came with being a teen superhero, but this was the first time they'd ever reacted like <em> this</em>.<br/><br/>Danny scratched his head as he recited his lie. “I wasn’t out all night, I s-swear. I left this morning and my phone died.” Shit, okay, maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned his phone. He still hadn’t come up with anything good for that one yet.<br/><br/>Maddie wasn’t buying it regardless. “Really, Danny? You went to Sam's house at five-thirty in the morning? Because that’s when your father and I got up and checked in on you." He tried to nod as earnestly as he could, not sure how else to respond to the direct questioning. Why would they care?</p><p>"Alright then, and why is your cell phone pinging somewhere upstairs? Honestly, Danny, to go off like that and not even bring your phone-"</p><p>"Wait, pinging?” He nearly shrieked. “Are you guys <em> tracking </em> my new phone?" Danny was dumbfounded, and beyond glad that he'd forgotten to grab the thing in his haste to see Vlad.</p><p>Maddie's face faltered at her slip and she glanced at Jack, who was still eyeing him strangely. His expression was wary and unsure, a look Danny normally only saw from his father when he was fighting as Phantom. He ignored the hurt that flared in his chest, shrinking when his father spoke in his seldom-used parenting voice, completely ignoring his question.</p><p>"First you stay out without telling anyone, leave your phone here, and then you lie about it and make your sister an accomplice. Jazz is twenty and out of the house, but you're not, so you still answer to us. Now spill it, where were you and what were you <em> doing</em>." Jack's voice broke at the very end, the firmness of it falling away like he was desperate for a certain answer, or deathly afraid of one.</p><p>His mom nodded and added on, "And we want the <em> truth</em>, mister!" </p><p>He didn't like the way she said 'truth', like he was hiding something big from them. He was, being a dead superhero and all, but she'd never sounded so <em> knowing </em>before. Maybe they'd finally put it all together.</p><p>But if that were the case he'd be vaporized by now, right? It was all they ever talked about, ripping him apart molecule by molecule. No, that couldn’t be it, but if they hadn't figured out his secret then what the hell did they think he was up to? </p><p>He pressed his lips together, wracking his brain for a good backup story, because they clearly weren't buying his first one. It was a good fib, or fabrication really, so maybe he'd just build off of it? Including Vlad in the narrative might distract them from his 'crime' if he played things right. </p><p>He couldn't exactly tell them what actually happened, of course, but he remembered Vlad once saying that the best lies had a fair bit of truth to them.</p><p>Danny's eyes fell to the floor with an almost theatrical sheepishness "I… couldn't sleep after the thing with uncle Vlad yesterday. I've never seen him so upset and it was bugging me. I was kinda worried about him." He glanced up at them, faltering but eventually meeting their eyes. "I did get up around five and walk around the neighborhood for an hour or so, just to clear my head, went to see Vlad around six I guess and we had coffee, then later on I went to do that project with Sam and Tuck." </p><p>A good, solid story, and mentioning Vlad worked like a charm in throwing them off their game, almost too well.</p><p>His parents clammed up, visibly uncomfortable upon hearing his name, sharing a telling glance before his mother fixed her eyes on him again, and he could imagine her glaring behind her goggles. Her voice was sharp, like she suspected that he was <em> trying </em> to distract her. "And where's your phone?"<br/><br/>Danny wanted to glare back at her. They probably wouldn't believe him at this point if he told them he just forgot it, and the tracking device really put him in a box.</p><p>"Couldn't find it in the dark this morning, so it's gotta be upstairs." He sneered. "That's what your tracker says anyway, so you'd know better than me." </p><p>Now that he was aware of that feature he could have Tuck disable it. He just couldn't believe he had to. His parents had never tried anything like that with him or Jazz, so he couldn't imagine what would motivate them to start hovering now, after all this time.</p><p>"So you woke up before dawn to walk around aimlessly before spending the morning with your uncle Vlad, then you innocently go do ‘homework’ with your friends? And your phone is just <em> upstairs somewhere</em>? And you didn’t think about it once the entire time?" He must have known about the tracker in the phone somehow, she was sure of it. Perhaps Plasmius had been hanging around when they installed it, then made Danny leave it behind when he possessed him this morning. But why? What was he making Danny do that he didn’t want them to track?<br/><br/>Danny shrugged defiantly in response to her inquiries. Part of it was him just being a brat, but the other part of it was him being at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected the third degree to be this strong, he hadn't prepared a script for it.</p><p>Maddie shook her head at his rebellious attitude, absolutely sure that he was playing dumb. "And you got your sister in on this... I know how you two operate. When you retrieve it from wherever she hid it for you, I want it in my hand, young man. You're grounded." Danny was stunned. </p><p>He hadn't been grounded since he was fifteen, and that had been after like, ten missed curfews! Who had gone and possessed his mother?</p><p>"Why? Because I was unaccounted for longer than I usually am?" He was nearly shouting but he couldn't help it in that moment. The Fentons both flinched and gaped at him but he kept their gaze, daring them to argue or defend themselves until they eventually caved and looked away in shame, maybe even fear. </p><p>All these years he’d come second to their work- hell, even third with Jazz around, and suddenly now they cared to have eyes on him. He’d always been understanding, forgiving as ever, and he was coming to appreciate passion and wanting to do what you loved, but he and Jazz had been watching over themselves <em> quite </em> some time, so his parents were too little too late.</p><p>They had to know that.<br/><br/>He didn’t want to be so hurtful, so resentful, but the feeling came all too easy when they were changing things up on him all of the sudden- acting weird, putting him on lockdown like a kid. That and everything else happening in his life all at once was wearing him down. He didn’t know how to respond to this weird vibe he was getting from them and it was making him feel almost jumpy, quick to react. Quick to snap.<br/><br/>It was only upon that passing thought that he realized they must be feeling something very similar about his own recent behavior. </p><p>He knew he hadn’t exactly been a ray of sunshine with everything going on, so if this was how they'd felt when he'd been so testy then he was starting to understand why they were so spooked around him. He was being weird too.</p><p>Danny tried to take a deep breath through his nose to calm himself, if not for his sake then for theirs. </p><p>The three sat in that slightly bitter silence, both parties uncomfortable with the atmosphere but unsure of how to proceed or move on with the confrontation. The tension was palpable.</p><p>Between the drama with Vlad’s accident, Danny’s ghost possession and general teenage turmoil, not to mention an utter lack of sleep, Maddie was having a hard time keeping it together herself. She felt on edge, more so than she usually did as a hunter living in a ghost hotspot. </p><p>She didn’t like the thought of Danny going out of his way to go see Vlad when the ghost that was haunting the man seemed to be taking over her son at random times.<br/><br/>Her boy, the same kid that slept until noon whenever possible, waking in the dead of night, or really the wee morning hours, with such an overwhelming urge to see Vlad that he sneaks out? Just leaves? And what teen went anywhere without their phone?<br/><br/>It didn’t sit right with her, and the fact that Vlad was actually receptive to Danny cemented her theories about Plasmius using her son to get Vlad comfortable and unsuspecting of the certain doom the evil ghost intended unleash upon him.</p><p>Sure, she was worried about Vlad and his doom, and it hurt to know that they were still putting him through so much pain even still, but her son would always take precedent in terms of her attention, despite what he thought. He was her main concern right now.<br/><br/>And this… obsession was out of character for him.<br/><br/>Not that he wasn’t a sweet boy who probably did feel bad for his uncle Vlad, but with everything else going on it was… off. Why now? What made Vlad start coming around again in the first place? How had they gotten so close so fast?<br/><br/>She looked to her husband, as if he’d provide some sort of clarity, but his expression spoke of anything but.</p><p>Jack was feeling absolutely torn.<br/><br/>Maddie swore their son was possessed, and the evidence was all there, but looking at his boy right now… there was just no way Danny could do something to hurt anyone, much less Vlad. He was such a good kid, and he clearly loved his godfather.</p><p>
  <em> Maybe that's why Plasmius chose him. </em>
</p><p>No, he steeled himself. That ghost wasn’t here. This, right now, this was Danny- not Plasmius. He knew it for a fact. He was ninety-nine percent sure. For the most part. Kind of.</p><p>He chewed the inside of his cheek as he searched his son's face for some sign, something to tell them for sure who they were talking to.</p><p>"We’re just worried about you lately, Danno. Have you been feeling okay? Different? You know you can talk to your old man about anything, I'll help however I can." Jack tried to be as delicate as possible but he felt like he was about to explode. Discretion was never his strong suit, and he wanted to grab Danny by the shoulders and shake him, swear to protect him from the nasty specter that was leeching off of him if Danny would just talk to them and <em> let him </em>.</p><p>Danny almost appeared to be in pain for a moment, looking equally as torn as Jack felt. </p><p>The youngest Fenton fought the urge to bounce his foot anxiously. Should he just tell them now? About being half ghost? It always crossed his mind when they confronted him like this. </p><p>And he always chickened out.</p><p>He looked back and forth between the two of them before shaking his head and muttering, "No, I'm fine. Just, uh… stress. Promise."</p><p>Jack shared the briefest look with his wife. Danny didn't make promises lightly, so it only made things more confusing. Another awkward silence, all three wanting to address the elephant in the room but not one knew what to say.</p><p>Finally it was Jack who broke, "So… How is he?" Simple and innocent.</p><p>Danny froze for a good few seconds as he fished for a way to answer truthfully without revealing anything incriminating. After all, Vlad had been <em> quite </em> fine when Danny left him. He fought the sudden blush as he once again remembered what they'd been doing in Vlad's living room together…</p><p>He coughed and ran a hand through his hair, still slightly damp with sweat.<br/><br/>Oh man.<br/><br/>"He's… I dunno dad, honestly. He was angry yesterday, today he just seemed… dejected? I really can't describe it, but we talked a long time and I think he'll come around, just… not for a while." It was the best response he could give them- accurate, but nice and vague, and his parents tried not to visibly sulk.</p><p>Danny tilted his head to the side and offered them a weak smile. "You guys are still really important to him." <em> More than you could ever know, </em> he thought darkly. "Made a decent case for you, but you know Vlad, gotta mull it over and all that junk." Danny shrugged casually, trying to shift the mood, maybe even butter them up.</p><p>They seemed touched by the notion, but this time his father was the first of them to return to the present matter.</p><p>Jack leaned in to whisper, as if Maddie couldn't hear, "That's awesome," He straightened back up and glanced at his wife, "but you're still grounded, mister. No phone, no leaving." Danny's eyes widened comically.</p><p>"But Dad! I-I still have that project to finish. How will I do that if I can't see or talk to Sam and Tuck?" How would he patrol? How the hell was he supposed to fight if a ghost attacked and they were right up his ass? How would he get out and train with Vlad? "If you ground me I fail!" Not his best fake argument, but it would have to do.</p><p>Maddie shook her head, "Nice try, buck-o. You have your computer still, talk with them online, and <em> only </em> for homework." Check and mate. Fuck.</p><p>He closed his eyes and they rolled behind his lids. "How. Long." </p><p>Both Jack and Maddie frowned and looked to the other, neither having thought that far ahead when they'd been so busy imagining that Plasmius was wearing their son around town like a meat suit, killing pedestrians or something.</p><p>"A week-"</p><p>"Until this weekend-"</p><p>They stopped, correcting themselves before a few expressive movements in their brows communicated that Maddie would be taking the reins. The Fentons broke eye contact with a nod and their heads faced Danny once more. "Five days."</p><p>He scoffed lightly, "Great. Let me just fetch you my phone and we can get this party started." Danny moved to storm past them when his dad caught his shoulder, and he prepared for a long, boring lecture on his attitude.</p><p>"This… is Vlad's old sweater." Jack's voice was confused, perhaps even suspicious sounding. It made Danny's body go completely rigid. Jack felt of the material and looked up at Maddie who also eyed the sweater now. "Isn't this the one you got him for his, what, nineteenth birthday?" To his horror his mother nodded, lips forming a wounded frown.</p><p>Danny looked down with wide eyes and his face felt hot, with both embarrassment and rage. No way. No fucking way. Why would Vlad send him home in something his mother had bought him? What did that mean? Was it <em> supposed </em> to mean something?</p><p>That bastard.</p><p>He wanted to throw up. Maybe Vlad still wasn't actually over all of his mind games. He knew Vlad hadn't just flipped a switch and become an upstanding citizen, and while he'd recently changed for the better, he was by no means at his best. Vlad wasn’t above regressing to his old trifling ways, and years of experience told Danny not to put something like this past the man, but there was this feeling deep in his core that made him want to give the man the benefit of the doubt.</p><p>Probably denial.</p><p>No. Vlad said something about it being plain or unrecognizable, so he picked it with subtlety in mind- unless Vlad had only said that to make Danny <em> think </em> he'd had good intentions, that he didn't know exactly what he was doing when he had Danny wear the sweater home. </p><p>It made him feel weird, like Vlad was sending his parents some petty message and Danny was just his little delivery boy. He swallowed around the small lump in his throat, his mind overwhelmed with questions.</p><p>"I spilled... coffee on my shirt and Vlad said I could wear this. He's washing it for me. No big deal, we'll trade back tomorrow." The lies were coming easy at this point. He tried exude nonchalance, like he wasn’t about to start shooting ecto blasts from his eyes, walking around them and getting about four steps up the stairs when his mother's voice stopped him.</p><p>"You'll trade back on Sunday, when you aren't grounded." Danny whipped around, teeth bared in a way that made both of his parents flinch once more.<br/><br/><em> “What?” </em></p><p>His dad seemed even more taken aback by Danny’s venomous tone but quickly steeled himself. "You heard your mother."</p><p>Jack didn't feel good about this, any of it, but they needed a way to keep him in the house so they could observe and take more notes now that they were actually looking for the signs and symptoms of Danny's possession. The more information they had, the better prepared they'd be for Plasmius.</p><p>But Danny didn't know that, and with their… less than attentive track-record, Jack could understand why cracking the whip now when he was grown would seem unfair.</p><p>Nevertheless, with the possession they didn't want Danny running around unchecked, especially with Vlad, considering he was Plasmius' target.</p><p>It was for his own good. </p><p>Danny’s jaw fell, along with his shoulders unbeknownst to him. "But... he's family." Technically, as weird as that was now considering their new relationship. </p><p>Can you even be grounded from family? </p><p>"He said to bring it back to him tomorrow." Not true, but his parents might cave if he made it sound like Vlad was the one who wanted him there the next day.</p><p>Well, he did want Danny there, but he couldn't tell his parents they were gonna train his ghost powers up.</p><p>They did give pause, then a brief glance to one another. He could read his dad like a book, and the man very obviously didn't want to do anything to upset Vlad further. His mother pursed her lips in a way that betrayed how upset she still was about yesterday. Her pout was resolute. </p><p>"Then Vlad can come here and get it." And while he was here he could explain himself to them like a man instead of pulling a stunt like a passive aggressive little witch.<br/><br/>Danny threw his head back with a sharp, condescending laugh that sounded eerily similar to the very man they were talking about.</p><p>"<em>Ha! </em>Yeah right. Why would he come here, are you kidding? He doesn't want to see you guys yet, okay? Yesterday was hard for him, what about that is so difficult to understand?” They had to be the most unsympathetic, self-centered ‘friends’ Danny had ever met, and he wondered if he felt Vlad’s rage personally now with the newest developments or if he was mixing in feelings he associated with his own accident, ones that he'd never been able to work through with his parents due to his secret. </p><p>Being more on Vlad's side against his parents was such a foreign concept to him, since Vlad was usually very much in the wrong. It was confusing, and if he  had a bias, he wasn't sure who it was for or against. He just wanted everyone to heal, move on, grow.</p><p>But they couldn't do that if his parents didn't back off and stop pushing. </p><p>"Seriously, what don’t you get about that?” He said softer this time, but his tone remained rough and hostile.<br/><br/>Maddie shrunk a bit when he asked again and Jack put an arm around her, brows drawing together in warning. “Heeey now Danno, there’s a lot you don’t understand about the situation and what happened all those years ago…” Danny raised a brow because he’d literally gone back in time and watched it go down, but he couldn’t say anything about that to them.<br/><br/>“Yeah, well, I've heard enough from Vlad. It’s traumatic and the reminders aren’t going anywhere so just let him come around on his own. I’m not about to tell him to come here for his sweater just so you guys can pester him before he’s ready to sort through it.” </p><p>Maddie stared at her son, eyes narrowing in a perplexing emotion.<br/><br/>When had Vlad and Danny become so close? It felt like <em> their son </em> was the man’s best pal, like Vlad had found a friend in Danny that he couldn’t find in them. The thought left a bad taste in her mouth, like failure and the faintest jealousy. One look at Jack said he felt the same, but it was hard to see it past how sad he was about the whole ordeal.<br/><br/>And then there was this barely noticeable air of smugness around Danny that conveyed just how aware of their feelings he was.<br/><br/>Maddie’s gaze hardened further.<br/><br/>Danny had always been the sassy type, but he’d never been so combative with them. She didn’t like it in the least, and she couldn’t hold back from reciprocating when her son was pressing her personal wounds like this. </p><p>"Well, I’m sure you can both just talk everything out together as usual then. You seem to know quite a bit about an accident that happened before you were even born, <em> Danny</em>." She cringed at the sharpness in her tone, feeling like a fool for being so snippy when <em> she </em> was the one who wanted Danny to open up to Vlad in the first place. She just hadn't anticipated it going both ways, and she definitely didn't anticipate being so upset about it.</p><p>Still, she was an adult. She felt bad for snapping at Danny when it wasn't his fault, and while she was glad this attitude was just a side effect, that didn't make it any more pleasant to be around. It was hard to keep her cool when her son felt so 'off'.<br/><br/>Danny scoffed harshly, loudly at her remark as he flashed back to his own accident, and for a moment he was so angry that he couldn't even see them standing in front of them. “<em>Oh, </em> I know a <em> lot </em> more than I’d probably ever like to-”</p><p>“Danny? Guys?” And there was Jazz, here to save his ass yet again.<br/><br/>Danny snapped his mouth shut and all three of their heads whipped back to peer up at her as she looked down over the banister from the second floor. They all internally groaned at the impending family therapy session and seemed to silently agree to simmer down and leave the matter as it was for now. </p><p>Danny knew Jazz would interrogate him later anyway so he didn't bother trying to get away.<br/><br/>Maddie was the first to sneak off, turning back to face Danny but not meeting his eyes. “Give your phone to your father and go upstairs until dinner.” </p><p>Danny and Jack watched her sulk through the kitchen and turn into the lab before facing each other again. He didn't know what his mother's deal was, but he was honestly grateful that she left- her behavior had been the weirdest. He saw Jazz still watching him at the top of the stairs over his dad’s shoulder and sighed.<br/><br/>“It’s fine, Jazz. All good, I’ll come up in a little bit.” She nodded, sending him a look when their father wasn’t facing her, then went back into her room, leaving the door open so she could hear better if they got loud again. Danny rolled his eyes again before setting them on his dad.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry.” He mumbled softly. He’d gotten too wound up, projecting his own issues with his parents into a situation that had little to do with him personally. Of course he was involved, but he could see from his parents’ perspective how it was just a kid butting into a history he knew nothing about, that he wasn’t there for. </p><p>“You're right. I <em> don't </em> know every side because I wasn't there," <em> Technically. </em> "and I shouldn't have gotten so mad. Sorry I yelled at you guys.” Jack’s face softened. </p><p>When he first saw the sweater he’d for some reason had this awful feeling that Danny had taken it and worn it home to antagonize them, with all the rebellious, spiteful energy he’d been putting off.<br/><br/>Then he’d gotten a weirder, more perverse idea, but he quickly brushed it off. It couldn’t be anything like <em> that</em>.<br/><br/>When Danny revealed that Vlad was the one who sent him home in it Jack felt even worse, crushed. It was like Vlad was saying goodbye. Vlad did dramatic stuff like this all the time when they were in college, and he wanted to assume that there wasn’t any real weight to it, like back then, but the subject of this discord was too serious, and the timing was too fresh, as they'd only broached the topic the day before. </p><p>Maddie knew it too, probably reading between the same lines he was, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he went down to the lab and caught her sneaking bourbon from their secret stash.<br/><br/>Crushed as he’d been, he was relieved that his friend wasn’t turning their son against them or something, but then again that would be a little too diabolical for Vlad now that he thought about it. </p><p>He might be letting his imagination get away from him.<br/><br/>Jack rested his hand on Danny’s shoulder again, this time affectionately, squeezing before thumbing the fabric. For just a minute he was twenty-something again, the feeling bringing back old memories of him and Vlad and Maddie joking around in the lab, their debates, eating pizza back at their tiny apartment, even back to the day he and Maddie shopped for this sweater. He’d been broke, but Mads let him come along and help pick…<br/><br/>“Dad?” Jack shook his head.<br/><br/>“Sorry, just thinking. And it’s not ‘okay’, but I forgive you." He leaned in and very quietly added, "You can’t help that you’ve got your mother’s temper.” </p><p><em> More like Plasmius’ temper. </em><br/><br/>Little did he know that Danny was thinking the exact same thought.<br/><br/>He huffed a short laugh under his breath. “Don’t let her hear you say that, dad.”<br/><br/>“Why do you think I whispered, Danno?” They snickered quietly before Jack cleared his throat and let his voice carry through the house. “Now go get that phone young man!”<br/><br/>Danny shook his head at his father’s antics as he bounded up the stares, smiling despite his punishment. He had no idea how Vlad could stay mad at the man for so long, Danny didn’t have it in him.<br/><br/>He pulled his phone from under the bed, finding it tucked between the mattress and the frame after a short search, and quickly sent a group text to Sam and Tucker telling them to message him online instead of text since he’d be grounded from his phone, then he deleted their old conversations. He’d never been caught in a lie this bad and he was feeling paranoid, unsure if looking through his messages was something his parents would actually do. </p><p>He briefly contemplated sending Vlad a middle finger emoji about the sweater bullshit before simply sending a dry <em> 'grounded from phone.' </em> and locking it, trudging out of his room to go back downstairs. He didn't have anything nice or brief enough to relay via text, and he didn't want Vlad texting back when his parents had his phone.<br/><br/>He gave his father a dull pout the whole way down the stairs, watching with interest as his father’s own expressions changed from equally bummed for him to something more akin to 'scandalously amused'. </p><p>He eyed the cat-like smirk warily, letting out another confused 'Dad?' as he surrendered his phone. </p><p>His dad chuckled, "So, Sam again, huh?" </p><p>Danny raised his brows curiously, thrown off by the seemingly random subject change. </p><p>"What about her?" His father grinned and poked at a spot just above his collar on his neck, the unexpected soreness of it making him yelp. </p><p>Oh.</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>"N-no way!" He ended up blurting before he could stop it from slipping out, then he kicked himself because that would have actually been a really good cover.<br/><br/>Jack frowned, "Then who-" he paused and Danny felt his heart stop for a moment, as if his dad figured out exactly who they came from, but then Jack leaned close with a piteous look on his face. </p><p>"Was it…. Was it that girl that broke up with you? Did you guys, you know... made up?" Jack wiggled his eyebrows knowingly.</p><p>Danny gave him a brief 'huh?' before remembering the excuse he and Vlad had come up with for his recent moodiness. <em> Perfect</em>.</p><p>"Oh! R-right, her. So Vlad told you about all that huh?" He didn't have to fake a blush. </p><p>Jack gave a slightly guilty shrug. "Well he told your mother, then she told me, but yes. No shame, son, and hey, you obviously fixed things up pretty well." His thick brows bounced yet again and Danny could feel himself curling away.</p><p>"Um, trust me dad, I'm not about to share any details." Especially not the real ones. </p><p>It was best to keep his fictional relationship as mysterious as possible anyway so that it was easy to maintain and hard to pin down who 'she' might be, and so they didn't suspect the other party in his <em> actual </em> relationship. </p><p>"I did go to see Vlad and go to Tucker's place with Sam, I just… didn't wanna tell you guys I'd seen a girl too."</p><p>Jack let it go easy enough. "I gotcha, Fenton men never kiss and tell, but we're mighty irresistible. And don't worry, this can stay between us. I won't tell your mother." The Hallelujah chorus played in his head and he sighed in relief as his dad elbowed him playfully.</p><p>That had all been way too close. </p><p>"Thanks, dad. And thanks for… being discreet about this." His dad joking about his hickies at the dinner table or something would have been the absolute worst, and his mom and Jazz would flip out on him about it, especially Jazz, since she could probably guess who he really got the marks from.</p><p>Speaking of that, he'd have to face her next. He inwardly groaned. Jazz was <em> much </em> harder to lie to than his parents, and as he walked past his dad up the stairs he contemplated just telling her everything.</p><p>Vlad was going to kill him.</p><p>Jack's voice carried all the way up to the second floor, but just barely.</p><p>"I get it, Danny boy, ya had to see her. Sometimes it's just like that when you're in love." </p><p>Danny froze at the top step, looking back at his father with a cherry red face that had the older Fenton barking a hearty laugh. He supposed kids his age were still shy about these things.</p><p>But hell, Danny looked utterly stricken. Poor boy must have it bad, and it <em> would </em> explain his moody behavior lately. </p><p>Maddie had told him what Vlad had relayed to her before she found the ectoplasm. Maybe she was wrong, maybe this <em> was </em> just teen hormones and high school drama. The ectoplasm and electrical shorts could be a coincidence, but with all of the evidence she had already, before they'd really even begun, it was highly unlikely.</p><p>But he could hope. </p><p>He made for the lab but stopped short and turned back, "Oh, Danny?" Surprisingly his boy was still rooted in his spot, looking to be in some state of shock. "I mean it, if you need to talk. About anything going on. Ghosts, not ghosts…" </p><p>Danny just gave him a shaky nod and bolted into the upstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind him.</p><p>Jack chuckled and shook his head as he made his way down to the lab. Teens were so temperamental. </p><p>Danny stood with his back pressed against the door, his eyes wide as he met the equally shaken stare of his reflection.</p><p>
  <em> Love? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Vlad? </em>
</p><p>His feelings for Vlad were strong and complicated, and with how pissed off he was, he didn't think now was the best time to be pondering how he felt about the man. </p><p>Especially if this did end up being one of his games. If so, it was a particularly sick one.</p><p>He shook the thought from his head and leaned in close to the mirror to see how bad the hickey was. He took another calming breath and leaned into the mirror to pull his collar down, discovering various slowly-fading bruises at the base of his neck. Some were still dark even now, as if Vlad had been trying to take a bite out of him. The worst looked like teeth marks… </p><p>He groaned indignantly, pulling his collar back up to cover them up again before stomping off to Jazz's room. </p><p>She sat on her bed, as if patiently waiting for him, and she calmly closed the book she was reading as he slammed the door, raising a delicate eyebrow that prompted him to speak. </p><p>"Can I borrow your phone real quick?" Okay, not the first thing she expected to hear.</p><p>He gave her a pleading look and she scoffed, rolling her eyes at his lack of explanation for the last twelve hours of weirdness. In the end she gave in to his puppy eyes and plucked her cell from its spot on her old duvet to place it into Danny's hand. </p><p>"Only if you promise to tell me what's going on." Now both brows rose into an expectant frown, identical to the one his mother had likely worn under her safety goggles. </p><p>She didn't let go of the phone until he nodded and mumbled a slightly annoyed, "I promise!"</p><p>"Alright. I saved his number. He's under Uncle Creeper." Danny gave a snort and called the number, holding the device to his ear. </p><p>He immediately began to pace across Jazz's room when it started ringing, the sound riling his nerves. It rang a few times, and with each ring he grew more frustrated, feeling as though his blood was slowly beginning to boil again like earlier with his parents. </p><p>He wanted to say he couldn't believe this shit, but he could, and that only made him feel more like an idiot. He should've seen this coming, he should have known better.</p><p>Vlad's smug voice was smooth and damningly pleasant in his ear when he finally answered, but that only infuriated Danny more. Charming son of a-.</p><p>"Why this is odd, Little Badger. When you so eloquently said 'grounded from phone', I naturally assumed that meant all phones. Or are you really breaking more rules just for me?"</p><p>Danny huffed a sarcastic laugh, "Fuck you, dude." </p><p>Yikes, that sounded kind of harsh… It certainly caught Vlad off guard. </p><p>His voice lost the playful tone, turning into one more confused and mildly offended after a brief pause. "Beg pardon?"</p><p>Danny stopped pacing in the middle of the room, facing away from his sister so she wasn't subjected to the furious expression on his face. "The only shirt I could borrow was the sweater from my mom? Are you fucking kidding me, Vlad? That was low even for you."</p><p>"Daniel what in the devil are you talking about?" It came out as an irritable growl, Vlad not appreciating the accusatory tone when he hadn't done anything to merit such insolence.</p><p>"Was this sweater I’m wearing not a present from my mom for your nineteenth birthday?"</p><p>The line went silent, but Danny knew Vlad hadn't hung up, and he wanted an explanation.</p><p>Vlad sat in his desk with his lips parted in shock as he began to remember that day in vague little flashes.</p><p>His nineteenth was a blur, despite not getting black out drunk. They'd been his only friends in college, so when his birthday rolled around it was just the three of them hanging out in their tiny living room. They'd ordered pizza, and Jack had acquired two six packs of the worst beer Vlad would ever consume from some lame upperclassman. </p><p>He recalled trying not to outright stare at Maddie as she handed him the gift bag, ignoring Jack's blabbering about how he helped. It had been the first gift he'd ever received from a friend, and he liked how he looked in it, so he wore it often in the colder months.</p><p>And yet really hadn't remembered where he'd gotten it from when he found it in his closet, favored as it was. He remembered it being one of his favorites, yes, but not <em> why.  </em></p><p>It was a long time ago, and lately that era of his life felt more like Plasmius' territory, or he liked to think so. His obsession had oftentimes skewed and buried some of those early, better memories that made it hard to stay angry and twistedly self righteous.</p><p>But he was trying to push all of that behind him, the good and the bad. He was living in the present now.</p><p>It honestly hadn't been a conscious thought or a deciding factor when he'd picked the sweater. It was warm, Vlad thought it might fit Danny, it would probably look good on him too.</p><p>Nothing about Maddie had entered his mind when he picked it, an astonishing realization that left him even more confounded, and strangely prideful.</p><p>If it wasn't a conscious decision, then was it perhaps <em> sub</em>conscious? Danny was making him question himself.</p><p>"Well?" He'd lost his patience with Vlad's lack of response. "What, are you still not done being a nasty bad guy? You wanna humiliate me in front of my parents? Or was it aimed at them? You trying to make someone jealous or something? What is it?"</p><p>He glanced at Jazz before turning his back to her again and lowering his voice further. "Did you want them to see the hickies too?"</p><p>Jazz's hands flew to her ears, as she had been straining them to listen. "Ugh! Take it to your room, oh my god!" </p><p>Danny thought he'd be too mad to be embarrassed but he still felt his cheeks warm and tingle as he awkwardly nodded and stomped to his room, waving back at Jazz when she demanded he bring it back when he was done. Vlad finally spoke as Danny shut his door behind him.</p><p>"... Daniel, I-" Vlad stopped himself when he heard the slight panic in his voice, and he suddenly yearned for the times when he didn't care about what the boy thought of him or his deeds. Now the idea of Daniel angry at him made his chest feel tight. </p><p>His pitch dropped a bit as he collected himself, but it retained the nuance of bare honesty that he wanted to convey.</p><p>"I wasn't trying to humiliate you or make things harder than they already undoubtedly will be. It wasn't deliberate. At the time, I hadn't even remembered where I got the sweater-"</p><p>"Oh, that's bullshit. Plasmius- <em> You </em> remember every breath my mom's ever breathed, no way you 'forgot'. Next lie, please."</p><p>Vlad pulled the phone from his face and frowned at it like Danny could see him. He couldn't recall the last time anyone had shut him down in a conversation so swiftly and surely. He gnashed his teeth at Danny's complete dismissal, not liking the feeling of being called a liar when he was telling the truth for once.</p><p>Vlad sighed and placed one of his elbows on his desk, leaning over and resting his head in his hand. It was only fair, if he had to be honest. He really <em> was </em> a liar, and he'd deceived and manipulated the boy countless times, so his distrust was quite justified. </p><p>So why did it sting so much?</p><p>"Daniel, I'm not lying to you. I wasn't trying to hurt you." <em> This time… </em></p><p>Danny must have been thinking along the same lines. "Right, because that's so out of character for you."</p><p>Vlad moved to rub small, soothing circles into his temple with the hand that wasn't clutching the phone to his ear. His eyes closed, rolling vexatiously beneath the lids. He'd never been compelled to defend his actions before, and he didn't like having to explain himself in the least. Why did he feel the need to?</p><p>"I chose it because it looked like it would fit, it was warm, and I hadn't been seen wearing something like that in years. That's all. My mind was far too occupied with <em> other </em> things that had just occurred to be thinking about Madeleine.” While the truth in that statement didn’t bring the same satisfaction as, say, <em> sweet revenge</em>, it did bring sweet relief. </p><p>No ache of betrayal or abandonment ailed him when he pulled the garment from the hanger and eyed it fondly, just post-orgasmic, absent minded bliss as he hurried back downstairs to Daniel.<br/><br/>He only hoped the boy believed him.</p><p>Danny chewed his bottom lip and glared broodingly through the slight bashfulness he felt at the reminder of their earlier activities. Vlad was too busy thinking about <em> him </em> to be thinking about his mom.</p><p>That reasoning sounded legit, and it eased his mind a little, but was it true? There was something about the way Vlad spoke that could make any nonsense sound believable. Being a smooth-talker was part of what made him such an eminent businessman. That, and he overshadowed his rivals...</p><p>Regardless, people always seemed to fall for his silver tongue, even Danny a few too many times, and he really, really didn't want to be the fool again.</p><p>But he didn't want Vlad to be the bad guy either.</p><p>He rubbed his neck anxiously, suddenly feeling like he was being paranoid. He'd been telling Vlad to let go of the past and here he was holding it against the man. His mind was screaming at him to trust his instincts and learn from their history. Vlad lies. Vlad twists things and manipulates them to his advantage.</p><p>But there was more to him too. Vlad had these softer sides, moments of openness and vulnerability only Danny ever got close enough to see, and he really...  He didn't know what to believe. He didn’t want to go looking for problems in their already problematic relationship...</p><p>Was he starting a fight over nothing? </p><p>He winced when his fingers pressed into the tender bruises at the base of his neck and his frown hardened anew as he remembered the marks there.</p><p>"Well if the sweater didn't make things weird then the multiple hickies was a really good backup plan. My dad saw." </p><p>Vlad stifled a laugh, not so much finding Jack's discovery funny, but instead finding humor in the mental image of Daniel sputtering and blushing in front of him. "I really thought they would have healed by the time you got home…" </p><p>He probably should have been more alarmed, and he would have been if it were Maddie who had seen, but Jack would believe anything, so he was sure Danny had little trouble smoothing things over, especially since Jack hadn't kicked down his door yet.</p><p>He was right. "Yeah, well, they didn't, Dracula. I had to say it was my fake ex-girlfriend." Danny deadpanned. They might have healed more if he'd stayed Phantom longer, but with how riled he'd been his trip home was over in five minutes flat. "We 'made up'."</p><p>"We certainly did, didn't we?" He chuckled despite Danny's less than amused tone.</p><p>"I'm glad this is funny to one of us." Vlad's smile fell as Danny went on. "Is that what it is? The sweater and the marks? Because it's just another funny game?" It was his very worst fear in that moment, that Vlad had faked everything and used him for entertainment or maybe a new kind of revenge on his parents. </p><p>"Tell me the truth." God, he sounded like his mother, but he didn't let it distract him. He listened to the nearly inaudible sound of the older man breathing on the other end.</p><p>The rest of the mirth drained from Vlad's face and he clenched his fist at Danny's righteous tone. "I already have. I have no intention of sabotaging what we've started here and my story won't change. I am not lying. I won't repeat myself." He growled the last sentence with a finality that promptly wrapped up that discussion.</p><p>Danny was left both satisfied with the answer and yet still wanting more, but he wasn't sure what it was he wanted to hear. He was certainly still peeved.</p><p>The line was quiet on both sides, and Danny sunk to the floor and laid there, staring at the stars on his ceiling while he calmed his temper with a couple of techniques Jazz had once showed him, and Vlad was probably doing something similar since Danny could hear his breaths gradually slow and deepen. Once he felt his anger begin to ebb away he shook his head at how dramatic he was being. </p><p>He carried a fair amount of his frustration with his parents into this argument, and he'd let his past hangups with Vlad make their way into his relationship with his parents.</p><p>As if he needed more fuel for either fires.</p><p>He huffed a laugh and Vlad's annoyed voice weakly demanded to know what was so funny.</p><p>"Just us, I guess. We went a full forty-five minutes as boyfriends before we started fighting."</p><p>Vlad's low hum rumbled through the speaker, the sound smoothly transitioning into his droll response. "Better than I thought." </p><p>Danny laughed, the sound making the butterflies in Vlad's stomach flutter up to his chest, enough so that he thought he might float out of his seat. He rubbed a hand over his face and tried to recover from the emotional whiplash.</p><p>"Daniel, your mood swings are going to finish what your father started." Danny cackled again. He had a dark sense of humor, that boy...</p><p>"<em>Please </em>, they're a walk in the park compared to yours. You'll survive." He grinned halfheartedly, then let it fade as he ran a hand through his messy hair. "Sorry, by the way. Kinda came in hot there. Should have cooled down before calling you but…" What was he saying? This was Vlad he was talking to, the other halfa had probably seen him angry more often than not.</p><p>"I take it that you didn't have the warmest reception upon getting home?" </p><p>Danny shrugged, then remembered that Vlad couldn't see him. "They were weird. I dunno, all this time I spent flying under the radar and <em> now </em> they want to watch me like a hawk. Can't leave the house or have my phone for five days, so I'm gonna miss our… date. Fight date. You know." </p><p>He wanted to roll over and smash his face into the floorboards but if Vlad found his floundering funny he didn't say anything. </p><p>"I see." There was a quiet disappointment in the response that left Danny pouting. Was Vlad really taking this personally? </p><p>"It's just five days, Fruit Loop. I'll be back to kicking your ass in no time." Five days trapped in his house surrounded by anti-ghost gear with two amped up hunters who were already disappointed in him honestly sounded like an eternal hell, but hopefully he'd come off convincing enough for Vlad. </p><p>It worked well enough. Vlad let out one of those evil chuckles that gave Danny the shivers. "If that's how you think your first lesson will go then you're in for quite the surprise."</p><p>Danny smirked and employed his very best bedroom voice. "How do you plan on surprising me, Masters?" </p><p>He snickered at the barely audible choking sound he heard echo through the line before Vlad spoke again.</p><p>"Well, your libido is obviously unsatisfied, but is your curiosity?"</p><p>"What do you mean?" Danny’s head cocked to the side, distracted by how weird it was to hear Vlad say the word 'libido'.</p><p>"Was there anything else bothering you?"</p><p>He gnawed at his bottom lip, "No. Uh, I think that was all, nothing else…" </p><p>Vlad waited patiently for him to say more, twiddling his pen between his fingers absently. The silence stretched on. </p><p>Did Danny still not believe him? </p><p>"Little Badger? Are you sure there’s nothing else?” They were already starting a relationship on a rather poor note, given their past, but perhaps they could clear the air? Daniel might feel better if he voiced his concerns.<br/><br/>He’d tried to convey how bad an idea it was for Danny to nurture feelings for him, as he’d fully anticipated some misunderstanding like this to come up, and he had an ‘I told you so’ right on the tip of his tongue. He refrained, of course, since in the end he'd decided he too wanted to explore the possibilities of such a relationship with Daniel, but the urge to say it was still there.</p><p>"Huh?” Danny said as he broke out of his own musings. “Oh, um, yeah we're good…" Vlad didn’t think he sounded very sure of that.<br/><br/>Danny didn't feel very sure either. It was difficult for his mind to accept that the sweater thing had been a coincidence- he didn't believe in coincidences when it came to Vlad Masters. The older man was too good at rigging the game to play in his favor, even better at being sneaky about it.<br/><br/>But they had come to a truce, and he really wanted that voice in his head to be wrong.<br/><br/>Vlad was on his side now.</p><p>Right?</p><p>"I gotta get Jazz her phone back before I get caught… I guess I'll see you in a few days then?" Danny didn't know what else to say and he already felt like an idiot for blowing up as soon as Vlad answered. "Bye Vlad."</p><p>"Daniel," he pressed the phone back to his ear and waited for Vlad to continue. "We'll need to feed soon. Likely before you're a free man again." </p><p>Danny <em> just </em> stopped himself from face-palming. "Right." He hadn't planned on actually keeping his house arrest, but he couldn't risk coming and going as carelessly as he used to when his parents were up and around. "It'll have to be at night or when mom and dad are away." </p><p>"That's simple enough. I'll send the vultures downtown to raise a little hell and we can both sate our cores in peace." Danny's brows furrowed. </p><p>"You're only half-joking. No way." He could envision Vlad sulking, and his imagination wasn't that far off from reality.</p><p>Vlad slumped in his chair, rolling his eyes. "Such a buzzkill, Daniel."</p><p>Danny smiled wryly, eased by the familiar banter. “We’ll figure it out, I gotta go, Fruit Loop. I’ll see you soon, I guess.”</p><p>“You will.” Vlad said pleasantly, if not forebodingly, and then the line went dead.</p><p>Danny sighed, simply laying on the floor for a few minutes to gather his thoughts.</p><p>He'd been really mad. Upset. A little out of it. The idea that Vlad was just playing him again had scared him, made him lash out and react angrily. </p><p>But why? He kept telling himself that he should expect trickery like that from the man who was his arch-nemesis for so long, that it shouldn't be that upsetting or surprising, but Vlad was different now, so it was.</p><p>Vlad was different now.</p><p>He said it a few more times in his head as he rose up and made his way to Jazz's room, stepping inside to find her waiting for him again, only this time she sprung up from her bed before he was halfway across the hall.</p><p>"<em>Hickies </em> ?!" Jazz hissed, not even giving him time to shut the door. "Danny, a crush is fine and it honestly makes sense in some ways given the weird history you guys have, and all the ghost stuff, but <em> actually engaging in- </em>"</p><p>"Woah, Jazz! Calm down!" He held his hands in front of him defensively, mostly to quiet her down. "We aren't 'engaging' in anything- oh." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, actually, I guess we kinda are..." </p><p>Jazz looked completely stupefied. She yanked down his collar and barely withheld a squeal.</p><p>"<em>What? </em>Danny! I thought- At the park! Weren't you guys fighting?" She blinked rapidly and remembered the intense staring contest from the day before, the two of them nearly attached at the hip the entire visit. </p><p>She'd been suspicious, since he and Vlad were suddenly chummy again after Danny's frightening low. He'd been so hurt and angry, and then Vlad came over for Christmas eve dinner and they were right as rain, excluding their usual bickering and animosity.</p><p>Then the day after, Christmas day, they went from amicable to something more intimate, and she'd wondered what on earth was going on.</p><p>Evidently they'd become <em> very </em> intimate.</p><p>Danny moved his hand from his hair to fidget with the hem of the sweater. "Right… I kinda didn't tell you guys a tiny part." She glared at his nervous smile. "The whole dropping me thing kinda happened because I freaked Vlad out by… maybe confessing that I had romantic feelings for him."</p><p>"Danny!" </p><p>"I <em> know</em>." He said exhaustedly, "So yeah, we <em> were </em> fighting I guess, but then we went to the truce party and… well, you know how truces go." </p><p>Jazz gave his neck a pointed look and raised a brow. "They don't go anything like <em> that </em> the last time I checked. </p><p>Danny's face turned beet-red and he pulled the collar up higher. "This is why I didn't want to tell you… It's totally legal and I really... I- Ugh!" He groaned in frustration. Jeez, his dad had to go and put that 'L' word in his head. </p><p>Did he love Vlad?</p><p>Sure, maybe in a 'You're an integral and irreplaceable part of my life and I actually deeply care about you' kind of way, but that's not an <em> in</em>-love kind of way.</p><p>Is it?</p><p>He was obviously attracted to Vlad, and he liked Vlad and being around him, a lot, and how they challenged each other, and how they could be themselves, even their worst selves together, and how no one else but the other could truly understand what it was like, and how he wanted to be there to understand Vlad and-</p><p>
  <em> Fuuuck, okay, yeah, I think I'm in love… </em>
</p><p>A sudden, slightly hysterical laugh escaped him before he could stop it. He'd called Vlad scared and here he was about to piss himself.</p><p>He shook himself out of it. It wasn't that monumental, people fell in love all the time. He'd been in love with Sam and Val at one point or another, at least he thought so…</p><p>Vlad felt different, but that didn't mean it had to be a big deal. That didn't mean he had to go dropping L-bombs all over the place.</p><p>Danny cleared his throat. "What I mean, is that I'm eighteen, and I… want Vlad. To be with him, and stuff…"</p><p>Jazz's jaw fell slack. Danny was serious.</p><p>"And Vlad?" For so long that man had gone on and on about making Danny his son, then the next thing she knew her little brother was covered in lovebites!</p><p>Danny shrugged, a shy smile creeping onto his face. "We, uh, talked about some things and… I mean he wants me too, so…"</p><p>"Of course he does, Danny. He always has." The look in Danny's eyes begged her not to try and talk him out of it. "I know I can't stop you, but… Are you sure this is a good idea?"</p><p>Danny squeezed at his shoulder with a guilty laugh. "I mean, probably not, but we're already, uh, <em> boyfriends</em>." He wanted to laugh again. This entire day felt like a fever dream.</p><p>Jazz gaped once more. "You are not actually <em> dating </em> Vlad Masters." </p><p>He simply stared back at her, visibly waiting to be yelled at.</p><p>She sighed defeatedly, pressing her lips into a fine line to keep her sure to be unwanted nagging at bay. </p><p>Every instinct told her to remind him of all the times Vlad had conspired against their family, how many times he hurt Danny, but she'd only be preaching to the choir. Who honestly knew Vlad Masters and his crimes better than her brother? Maybe there was something she was missing, something Danny alone seemed to understand.</p><p>She'd been away from home for two years, and much had obviously happened in that time, even before their ghost-hunger exchange. Any judgement she made would be based off of dated observations, and that was no way to form an opinion about, much less argue for or against, any particular idea or person. </p><p>She'd have to trust Danny's gut, even if it felt like she was doing so blindly. All she could do to help was be there if he needed her. She knew her baby brother had a good head on his shoulders, she had to believe he knew what he was doing.</p><p>"Okay." She said after a moment, pushing herself through the 'acceptance' stage. Then she asked, "What was downstairs all about?" </p><p>Danny winced, still feeling awkward about discussing some of this but glad to rant about what just happened. "Vlad sent me home in this sweater that mom got him for his birthday one year. They made it seem all special, and they were kinda upset to see me wearing it, so it felt like a passive aggressive message to them from Vlad. Not to mention how embarrassing it was for me. Kinda felt dirty, like I was being played, so that's why I was so crazy on the phone. Yeah."<br/><br/>Jazzed raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, “And I kinda lost it downstairs too, okay? I, uh, got too wound up with mom."</p><p>"Enough to almost spill your beans." Jazz scolded lightly. "You're making them really worried, which isn't good for keeping ghost-secrets. Almost looked like you were about to snap or go ghost. You need to figure out how to keep a cool head and lay low for now..."</p><p>He rubbed his hands over his face and made an utterly exhausted sound. "I <em> know</em>. It's hard. Anything to do with Vlad right now feels like a trigger, like it hits me tenfold. I think I'm in-"</p><p>"Well," Jazz interrupts, immediately going into brainiac mode. "It only makes sense, considering your ectoplasm situation. If Vlad's energy has as much an effect on you as you say, then of course you're finding yourself in blind fits of rage. Then there's your… rapidly evolving relationship..." She brought her hand to her chin as she regarded him with squinted eyes.</p><p>"Did the feeding have anything to do with this? I mean, taking on so much of someone else's essence has to mess with your head in more ways than one." Perhaps that better explained their sudden sexual attraction too, she could only hope. For once, she tried <em> not </em> to psychologically dissect Danny, for both of their sakes. Delving into her baby brother's psychosexuality was a bridge she didn't care to cross in her career, much less her life. Some things were best left private.  </p><p>"That may have exacerbated some already present feelings into these more romantic ones." If it was all chemicals and ghost magic then that was something she could wrap her head around with fewer queasy feelings.</p><p>Danny rolled his eyes and walked over to collapse into Jazz's computer chair, an irritated look on his face. He didn't seem to like her hypotheses. "Ugh, you sound just like Vlad. Does it really matter if our feelings were 'exacerbated'?"</p><p>"Vlad thinks that? Hm, I would have thought he'd…"</p><p>Danny frowned when she trailed off. "What?"</p><p>"Well I was mostly talking about your feelings when I referred to the exacerbation. I figured Vlad had come to terms with <em> his </em> obsession with <em> you </em> a long time ago. For him to put so much stock in the exchange being responsible for his feelings…" </p><p>She shook her head and shrugged, watching for Danny's response. "I dunno, seems like denial, coming from Vlad. I just find it odd that this is a point of resistance for him." Vlad was full of contradictions like that. Maybe <em> he </em> should be the focus of her thesis…</p><p>Danny ran a hand over his face. "Vlad makes it a point to resist everything. Well, most things…" Jazz sent him a mildly disgusted look at the dopey smile on his face.</p><p>"Not going there." She snorted at the bright flush bleeding down his neck. "But seriously. I do want to understand. What's it like? Trading energy with someone like Vlad? He's different too, so do you think he's struggling like you?"</p><p>Jazz watched him frown, his brows coming together as he mulled over her words.</p><p>"I think… we're struggling in different ways. I'm learning things, he's unlearning things. The relationship just kinda happened in the middle of it, and while it's still weird even for us, I think we both want it." He trailed off almost shyly before looking back over to her.<br/><br/>"He's more than just angry all the time, by the way. I used to think it was simple, like he was just evil for fun almost, but…" Should he tell her about the other sides of Vlad?</p><p>"Oh no, I'm well aware of the fact that Vlad Masters is damaged beyond just being 'angry', and I completely understand that it’s more complex than him just being ‘bad’. If people were that simple then I wouldn't be studying psychology.” Her lips thinned almost gravely, and she spoke slowly, as if she were being particularly careful in choosing her next words.<br/><br/>“With Vlad, though… Sometimes it makes more sense to think of him as not-human in order to make peace with… him being the way he is. Vlad didn't seem to ever care if his actions hurt someone, everything about the living world seemed so trivial and attainable to him, like he thought he was some god. I never really got the time to feel bad for him, what with all the home-wrecking and life destroying going on." Jazz looked up to find Danny looking to the ground again, conflicted.</p><p>She sighed and scooted to the edge of the bed. "I know the energy exchange is opening your eyes to each other, and I can already see a change in him, but he was a deeply twisted guy for a long time. Over half his life. Just… don't get your hopes up too much. People can heal, but some things stick with them."</p><p>"Don't I fucking know it?" That was meant to sound funnier than it did and he winced at the harshness, staring at the ground again. He knew Jazz was just saying all this because she cared and worried. He could feel her eyes boring into his head but he didn't feel like lifting it to face her. Instead he mumbled into his chest.</p><p>"He's not a lost cause. I think he's secretly a softie, if not a psychotic one. I think all that time being neither human or ghost all alone made him lose it. It sucks and I only experienced it for like a month before I met him. Vlad was a freak all by himself for twenty years…" He shook his head with a humorless laugh.</p><p>Jazz eyed him thoughtfully for a long moment. "I guess it's good he has you now, right?" </p><p>Danny sensed that there was some sort of test behind that statement. It was almost said like a challenge. He agreed just to be stubborn. "Yeah. Right."</p><p>Jazz sighed and leaned forward, drawing his eyes to her face. "You aren't responsible for fixing him, Danny. It isn't your duty just because you're 'tethered' to each other. You can’t ‘fill the void’ for him."</p><p>"I know that… but is it bad that I want it to be me?" He didn't want Vlad looking at anyone else, for anything. He knew that was on the loopier side, and he had no doubts about where such feelings might have come from, but he was feeling it all the same.</p><p>"Not bad… but definitely not healthy. Isn't Vlad being obsessed with you enough?" Jazz saw through the stormy expression on his face. "Or is it… that you want him obsessed with <em> only </em> you?"<br/><br/><em> Not mom? </em> </p><p>She didn't have to say it, his deepened grimace gave him away. “So that’s why the sweater thing bugged you so bad. You’re afraid that this is still about mom, and you think he was reluctant to engage in your relationship because he still has feelings for her. Now you’re the reluctant one.”<br/><br/>He bit his lip and looked over at Jazz. "It was fine when I could tell myself he was resisting because of my age or our history, but this just… set me off. Ever since I realized how I felt about him I keep looking at mom differently, like competition. It’s gross, makes me feel weird. So, uh, yeah. Resistance has been a thing for me too I guess, even if I was the one who wanted it so bad…" </p><p>He could practically feel her easing into therapist mode. "Why do you think that is?"</p><p>Danny sighed, "Well, I'm not so much resisting as I am cautious. Can you be cautious and reckless at the same time?" </p><p>Jazz gave an annoyingly neutral nod and gestured for him to go on.</p><p>"I want Vlad, but I'm used to him being up to something. I kinda blew up at him on your phone, it ended up being a misunderstanding but I feel like I'll never know for sure with him."</p><p>Jazz nodded again, and he was just waiting for her to start taking notes at this point. Her intense focus suggested she might just be doing so in her head, so he shrugged and continued.</p><p>"So while I say I'm being cautious, it could also be insecurity… And Vlad… Well, just today I told him I thought he was afraid of change, letting people in. I guess we're both insecure. Afraid to trust each other after so long fighting, but really wanting to." Jazz smiled sadly at him. </p><p>"I hope all of my clients are as self-aware as you. Easy money." He returned her sad smile and she scooted to the edge of the bed to be a bit closer to him. "Trust and security are just going to be unique obstacles between the two of you. While I myself don't trust Vlad all that much, I can't see him doing anything too terrible to you anymore since it would likely directly affect him- and that's putting aside the heart eyes he was sending you all day yesterday. Creepy."</p><p>Danny seemed more flattered than disturbed by the comment, waving his hand dismissively as he turned away to hide his smile.</p><p>She found herself shaking her head at him yet again. "Seriously, though. Vlad may not be as malicious now, but he's still dangerous. He's an all or nothing kind of guy, and when he reaches the point where he stops resisting the progression of your relationship, he might be too much for you to handle. That might even be <em> why </em> he's resisting. He doesn't want to go full Fruit Loop on you."</p><p>Danny frowned, tossing the thought around in his head. That made sense. Vlad doesn't want to scare him away with his crazy. </p><p>But didn't they cross that bridge when Vlad went and cloned him? How much more psychotic could Vlad possibly be in <em> love</em>?</p><p>Oh there was that word again…</p><p>It was all happening so fast, his head was spinning with pros and cons, fears and fluffy feelings. It reminded him of the terrifying free fall from when Vlad dropped him, he just hoped they wouldn't crash into a fucking building.</p><p>"He was right. This is gonna be hard. I was so excited that I didn't wanna believe him, but then this whole sweater thing…"</p><p>Jazz eyed the sweater Danny wore with slight disdain. "Do I even <em> want </em> to know what happened to your shirt?"</p><p>The tight-lipped, exceedingly sharp shake of his head told her that was a definite <em> no </em> and she shuddered at the unbidden mental images. They quickly changed the subject.</p><p>Their discussion flowed seamlessly to scattered topics of concern, those topics being his parents and their odd behavior, graduating and telling them about being the ghost boy, Vlad, of course, and so on.</p><p>Talking to Jazz ended up not being such a bad idea. His sister knew so much about him, even more now than before, and certainly more than anyone else on the planet, as there were a few things he had yet to share with Vlad or his friends. He didn't give her every explicit little detail, but he tried to be as raw as possible while staying within the lines. 'Boundaries' was a lesson they'd covered long ago. </p><p>With Jazz he could talk about the accident, the time traveling, his friends and his parents, and he realized he'd dreaded telling her about his new relationship with Vlad because he feared that <em> this </em>would be where she crossed the line, this would be where she shuns him or shames him.</p><p>Instead Jazz was thankfully understanding and earnestly listening to him. Going over how he was feeling about the situation with someone outside of the relationship, who really knew him and didn't judge him, was just what he needed, and he could see that it made Jazz happy to be of help.</p><p>With a few sage words of advice and caution, and a very much needed hug, she let Danny retreat to his room feeling almost as light as he felt on his flight home.</p><p>He'd showered and sat through what had to be one of the most uncomfortable family dinners he'd endured yet. It started with his parents chewing them out, and his mom and dad sent each other the strangest looks every now and then, she'd pause or he'd interject and they'd silently agree to discuss <em> something </em>later before they'd hop back to scolding them, mostly him. </p><p>They were older now, though, and in the end it sounded less like a scolding and more like a frantic rant for them to tune out while they finished eating.</p><p>The rest of the evening consisted of him minding his own business and his parents watching him like a hawk, and he swore he almost caught his mom trying to sneak up behind him with a specter deflector. He'd retreated to his room and lurked on the internet for the rest of the night.</p><p>The fact that he still had computer privileges made it feel like his parents truly had no clue what they were doing, but he wasn't about to point out the flaws in their grounding methods and lose such privileges.</p><p>He spent most of the evening trolling Dash's Phanboyz Phorum. The name made him want to die all over again, but the cringe-worthy content from his peers had him hooked.</p><p>Some of them had obvious usernames, others were identifiable through their posts alone. There were a few heartfelt messages about him, but most were romanticized ideas of him and his life as a ghost boy. </p><p>Then he found a post about Plasmius.</p><p>It was from a battle that took place two years prior, one where he actually got the jump on the older halfa, and Danny could see himself in the corner of the photo coming down from above, primed to inflict the most pain physically possible. Even so, it was a really good picture of Vlad, but the subject among the comments was less than flattering.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>God he's so fucking creepy!! Rat bastard... <br/><br/></em> </b>
</p><p><b> <em>I could watch Phantom beat the shit out of him all day.<br/><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em>The Wisconsin Ghost can eat my entire ass.<br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em>Wreck that fucking gargoyle!</em> </b></p><p> </p><p>Danny 'liked' that one, which prompted him to make an account. He deviously rubbed his hands together.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69 has joined the Phorum!</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>He could have started some of the actual homework that had been assigned for the break, <em> or </em> he could make this punishment into a five day trolling spree on Dash's precious fanpage.</p><p>He naturally went for the latter. Maybe he could make this into a mini vacation? At least, that was the goal. It depended entirely upon whether or not his parents would let this be a normal 'grounding'.</p><p>Danny should have known his parents had no concept of normal.</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry no spicy this time, I have drama to build.</p><p>Please leave comments they fuel the fire under my ass.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. The Shield</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I had to cut this chapter in half because by the time I go in all the scenes I wanted, it ended up being 44 pages, a real bitch to edit. I wanna say like 2 more chapters before it gets to the scenes that inspired the whole fic and lemme tell you I'm big hype.</p><p>But groundwork. Enjoy this snack in the meantime.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/><br/><br/>Danny blinked his dry eyes open around half past noon the next day, Vlad's sweater wadded up under his face to act as a pillow, while his real pillow was teetering at the end of the bed.<br/><br/>Odd place for it to end up. His sleep must have been pretty fitful...</p><p>He snuggled into the sweater and took a deep waking breath, smiling when he smelled Vlad. The scent had obviously faded over time, and he wasn’t sure if it was cologne or some fancy laundry soap but he liked it, and it was nice to wake up to. He closed his eyes again after the daylight proved to be too much for them. They almost felt sore, and his dark circles were probably even darker now, but staying up all night was well worth it.<br/><br/>Turns out quite a few people had been online, and he’d barely avoided getting banned for messing with them. He commented on every single Plasmius photo he could find and said whatever horny, ridiculous nonsense that came to mind.<br/><br/><br/><b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69: That Wisconsin ghost.. can get it</em> </b> 😫 <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/><br/></em> </b> <b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69: Look at that delicious pink glow~ uwu<br/><br/></em> </b></p><p>
  <b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69: U see how shredded he is? Built like a dorito. Danny Phantom could never...<br/><br/></em> </b>
</p><p><b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69: The evil cape is to camouflage how caked up he is.<br/><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em>GhOsTfUcKeR69: Plasmius can step on me.<br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b>He cackled maniacally all night long, roasting his alter ego within an inch of his half life, occasionally responding to indignant replies to his comments. The sun was peeking over the horizon before he logged off, finally satisfied with the ruin of Dash's beloved fan page. He only wished the jock had been online with everyone else yesterday.</p><p>Danny actually <em> did </em> end up seeing a few of Sam's older comments under his photos, some praising his heroics, a few going on about how he wasn't all that scrawny anymore, how badass and cool he was. He'd given a loud snort at the last one, turning red despite knowing that Sam was all too aware of how <em> un </em>cool he was.</p><p>Either she still had that unshakeable crush on him or she was trolling in her own ‘unique’ way, he wasn't going to think about it too much, as it was surely over his head.</p><p>Girls could be weird...</p><p>Danny dragged himself out of bed, laughing under his breath on his way to the bathroom when he remembered one of Dash's posts about his 'Absolutely Wicked Ghostly Wail'. He could see himself letting that one go to his head.</p><p>His laughter stopped when his core vibrated painfully. It was a dull ache, not unbearable, but definitely noticeable. He nearly folded like a lawn chair in the middle of the hallway, but somehow he managed to make it to the bathroom. He stayed slightly hunched over the sink for a couple minutes until throbbing pain passed. Vlad was right yesterday, they'd have to feed soon, or at least he would. Damn.<br/><br/>He washed his face with cold water and went about his short morning routine. After brushing his teeth he ventured downstairs to grab something to eat, pumping his fist in triumph upon discovering leftover pizza they'd ordered at some point.</p><p>He swiped a slice and nibbled on it cold as tense conversation and the muted whirring of the portal pulled him towards the basement. It sounded like his parents were arguing, or 'tersely debating' as they sometimes called it, and whatever topic they were covering was evidently pretty contentious. Danny jumped when a loud slamming sound carried up the stairwell, but then their voices were hushed, even softer than before. </p><p>He stepped closer and leaned with his ear pointed towards the lab, he even stopped chewing in an effort to hear better but they were being too quiet now, so he decided to creep down the stairs so he could listen in.</p><p>Only he didn't make it to the first step. He was violently zapped away, and his back smacked into the wall with a dull thud before he hit the floor, twitching and suddenly without command of his body.</p><p>He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his pained groan at bay. That fucking <em> hurt</em>, and what, now he couldn't move?</p><p>Panic began to rise in his chest as he fought harder and harder to lift his limbs, get up, crawl away, something. His parents had to have heard him slam into that wall, what if they came up the stairs and found him?<br/><br/>They'd have questions, for sure.</p><p>The following minute or so felt like an eternity before the paralysis effect finally began to wear off.  Danny lifted his head to gape down the stairs, eyes following the faint, residual streaks of electricity that danced chaotically across the entryway, and he found that he had a few questions himself. </p><p>A ghost shield? Around the lab? </p><p>They'd never had an active shield inside the house before. They had one outside, so why would they need one here? What the hell was going on? What were they doing down there? </p><p>He picked himself, and the half eaten pizza he'd dropped, up off the floor, tossing his 'breakfast' in the garbage. He'd lost his appetite somewhere between the ectoshock and the intense dread still pooling in the pit of his stomach. The anxious buzzing of his now achier core wasn't helping the feeling. </p><p>He flew straight through the ceiling to his room, wanting to get some distance between him and the lab as fast as he could. He began pacing nervously before his feet even went fully tangible. Call it paranoia but he didn't really want them hearing his footsteps anyway. </p><p>Danny counted his lucky stars that the shield hadn't shorted out his powers like Vlad's inventions tend to do.</p><p>He took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, blowing out the invisible birthday candles like Jazz taught him.</p><p>Jazz. Jazz would know what to do, or at least how to calm him down, help him think straight. He ran to her room, knocking a couple times before peeking inside to find it empty. Damn. She hadn't been downstairs either, unless she was in the lab…</p><p>Unlikely, but either way she was out of his reach. He raced back to his room and opened his laptop to call Sam and Tucker to video chat, immediately falling into an almost unintelligible ramble when their faces appeared on screen after a few short rings.  </p><p>
  <em> "GUYS my parents are being really sketchy and weird after all the drama with Vlad on Christmas and they're like, paying attention to me but, like, a lot? Then there's a crazy ectoshield around the lab and I'm grounded ‘cause I fucking goofed so I'm stuck here-" </em>
</p><p>"Woah woah woah! Dude, <em> what </em>?"</p><p>"Yeah, slow down, Danny. Start from the beginning. Vlad drama?" Danny ran a hand over his face as he tried to decide where the beginning was. He'd at least have to tell them everything he told his parents, so they'd be on the same page. </p><p>"Uh, well… Okay, so Vlad came back over for Christmas, right?"</p><p>Sam leaned into her camera, "<em>Back </em> over?"</p><p>Danny tried to look casual, "Oh, yeah, he actually showed up on Christmas eve, like, right after you guys left."</p><p>Tucker shuddered, the sound of his voice competing with the clacking of the keys as he typed. "He was probably watching us, waiting to get Danny <em> all alone</em>." He sing-songed, having apparently decided that he wasn't letting Danny live down his crush on their long time enemy. </p><p>"Anyway," Danny continued, successfully staving off a visible reaction, since he and Vlad <em> had </em> been alone most of the time, "things were going okay at first, and I honestly thought they would all be able to get along, like an idiot, but then my parents mentioned the accident and… It went downhill fast. No one got hurt but Vlad stormed out in a fucking <em> mood </em>, ghost powers flaring all crazy, and I left him alone like he asked, but after a few hours I couldn't stop thinking about it so, you know, I slipped out at night to go see what he was up to…" Sam frowned at that, but Tucker seemed relatively unphased.</p><p>"Well?" He prompted curiously. "What did he destroy? We didn't hear about any Plasmius sightings."<br/><br/>Danny stroked his chin anxiously. "That's the thing, guys, he kinda destroyed <em> himself</em>. It was sad. Found him absolutely <em> trashed </em> on his couch, out cold. I took him up to his room and… I ended up falling asleep. It was almost noon when we woke up."</p><p>"Wait. We?" Sam began, holding up her hand. "You made that sound like you two slept <em> together </em> in his bed. You and Vlad."</p><p>Danny swallowed, "Look, I just fell asleep there, okay? As I was <em> saying</em>, I had Jazz text our parents from my phone and say I was with you guys, but when I got home they'd half figured it out. I stuck with the story that I left early in the morning, and that we're working on some project for school, but in the end I had to tell them about going to see Vlad too…" </p><p>"Why?" Sam's question was innocent enough but his ears still pinkened nonetheless. He didn't want them to know about the sweater fiasco, because he seriously doubted his friends would believe that it was 'coffee' that had soiled his shirt after, especially after he’d just told them he spent the night with Vlad.</p><p>Tucker came to his rescue, be it knowingly or otherwise. "Nah, honestly good call. Better have their mind on Vlad's issues than on you."</p><p>"Exactly!" Danny said a little too hurriedly, "But they were still weird when I got home. They were mad and… and scared? I thought my mom would combust, my dad just looked… really confused? But he never really knows what's going on…" he trailed off, trying to make sense of the unsettling vibes they were giving off.</p><p>"Danny?" Sam's voice pulled him from his thoughts.</p><p>"Right, anyway, they grounded me, for 'sneaking out' and lying, but I’m only grounded from leaving the house and my phone- <em> my phone that they put a tracker in, by the way." </em></p><p>That actually surprised his friends. Sam pressed her lips together, a wary look in her eyes. "Wow. I'd expect that from <em> my </em> parents, but not yours…" Tucker agreed, seemingly deep in his own thoughts as he listened and fiddled with something off-screen. </p><p>"Yeah, man, that <em> is </em>weird. I'll disable it when you get your phone back." </p><p>Danny smiled gratefully, "Thanks dude. You see what I mean though?" They nodded, and Danny looked over his shoulder at his door, despite knowing it was shut and no one was there, and he cupped a hand next to his mouth in a theater whisper as he leaned back into his webcam. "But that's not even why I called you guys. There's a fucking ghost shield around the lab that almost fried me like a strip of bacon!"</p><p>Sam wrinkled her nose. "What? Like, around the portal?" Danny shook his head, eyes wide to express just how stressful he found this development. </p><p>"The entire lab, I think. I couldn't even get past the threshold. It's right over the gate at the top of the stairs."</p><p>Tucker was less than alarmed. "Chill dude, I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. They're probably just testing new tech. They could have finally wisened up and figured they should have extra containment measures should a ghost or fifty slip through."</p><p>"As they so often do." Sam finished dryly. "Makes sense though, to confine it to the lab, I mean." Tucker nodded, looking at the camera and prompting Danny to nod along, even though his face clearly displayed his anxiety.</p><p>They weren't the ones who got zapped.</p><p>Tucker put down his project upon catching the look and one corner of his mouth tugged upwards in what was probably meant to be reassurance, but looked to Danny like barely restrained pity.</p><p>"It doesn't have to mean they know. You've been really high-strung with everything going on, man, I think you're stressing yourself out." Tucker rubbed the stubble under his chin. "You should still maybe lay low though, just in case. Chill, rest, be Danny Fenton, normal grounded teen, and sleep away some of those designer bags under your eyes. We can patrol a few hours a night on our own." </p><p>Danny opened his mouth to protest but was hushed by Sam. "Nope. We have gear, and we can call Valerie if need be. Tucker is right, unless you want to tell your parents who you are <em> right </em> now, it's probably best not to make them any more suspicious."</p><p>"Yeah dude, and... stay away from the basement, I guess? Just be real careful, especially if you do end up having to leave." Tucker knew him so well. "Play it safe."</p><p>Danny heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "And if we emphasize the symbolism in chapter four, Lancer is sure to give us an A!" He made sure his voice carried, peeking back to see if he'd spot his mom's shadow.</p><p>The footsteps paused but carried on to his parents' bedroom.</p><p>Danny sighed in relief, looking back to face his friends' unimpressed stares. "I'm only allowed to be online for homework." He explained.</p><p>They shook their heads, Tucker stretching and shooting finger guns at his webcam. "Well, it sucks that we can't see you, I was planning on marathoning the Terminatra movies tonight at Sam's place." </p><p>Sam raised a brow. "Oh, were you?” Tucker started his usual begging and whining about wide screens and surround sound and she threw up her hands. "Alright! Terminatra marathon!"</p><p>Tucker gave a small 'whoop!' and she stared into the camera flatly, communicating more sass than an eye roll ever would, before offering an apologetic look. "Sorry Danny…"</p><p>The left side of his mouth raised in a pathetic half smile, "It's cool, guys, enjoy the marathon. I'll catch up on homework or sleep or something like you said. Later."<br/><br/>“Be safe, Danny.” They mumbled slightly guilty goodbyes and logged off, leaving Danny to slump in his chair, bored.</p><p>Bored enough to actually try to read what Lancer assigned for over break. He needed a good distraction, and while the group project had been a lie, he <em> did </em> have homework for himself that he'd neglected.</p><p>Unfortunately he only got a few pages in before his ability to actually absorb any of the content abandoned him. Leave it to Lancer to assign the <em> dullest </em> stories for their readings. </p><p>After that failed attempt at productivity he'd spent an hour messing around on Dash's fan page again, then his dad walked in after a single knock, wearing a tentative smile.</p><p>Danny squinted at the look. It was unlike his dad's usual smiles. He greeted his father casually.</p><p>"Hey dad…"</p><p>Jack's smile broadened into something more genuine as he seemed to relax, the tension visible only now that it was leaving his shoulders. "Hey there, Danno."</p><p>There was a pause where Danny watched his father glance around his room, like he was looking for something. </p><p>He remembered Vlad saying that they'd thought he was suffering from some mental illness, did they think he was into drugs or something too?</p><p>"Dad? Uh, did you need anything?" </p><p>His dad looked back to him, but only for a second before they zeroed in on Danny's computer screen and widened. </p><p>Danny turned to face his screen again and realized he still had a picture of Plasmius up. He resisted the urge to slap his laptop shut. It wasn't like he was looking at porn or anything, but he still felt this shameful feeling, even if his father didn't know <em> why </em> he was looking at the photo.</p><p>Danny was just glad he'd zoomed out from Vlad's ass before Jack came in.</p><p>His dad gave him an apprehensive look before shaking his head, that tight smile front before coming back.</p><p>"You mother made sandwiches for lunch. Yours is ready downstairs when you are."</p><p>He turned to protest but his father was gone before Danny could ask that he bring it upstairs instead. It was unlikely anyway. He took a deep breath and heaved a sigh, his eyes closing as he mentally prepared himself to head down.</p><p>The gate to the basement was right next to the dining area… Maybe he could get his food and eat in the living room? Probably not, especially when he was on thin ice. He'd sit at the far end of the table, maybe eat fast and run back upstairs.</p><p>God, could he do that for four more days though?</p><p>His father shouts his name to call him down again and he very slowly descends the stairs before making his way to the kitchen. His dad is already at the table, half way through his second sandwich when his mom sets his own plate down.</p><p>Directly in front of the seat closest to the lab.</p><p>A barely audible gulp is all he can muster as he reluctantly takes his seat. It's probably in his head, but he swore that he could <em> feel </em> the ecto-electric field invisibly fortifying the door, uncomfortable little tinglies over his back as he stiffly faced away and scooted closer into the table.</p><p>"Aren't you hungry, baby?" Danny blinked up at his mother, noticing that her usual smile seemed pinched. He looked down at his sandwich with slight unease. </p><p>When she walked away he took a bite and nothing happened, so after a couple minutes pass without incident he decides to finish it as fast as possible, only half listening to his parents as they talk about yesterday and, yet again, go over their expectations of a young adult still living under their roof, not missing curfew again, being respectful, the works. It seemed like they were putting on a bit, but he just assumed it was because they weren’t used to having to actually discipline their children.</p><p>Then just when the discussion seemed to be over, after a deceptively peaceful hush had fallen over the table, his father asked him something that made his blood run just a bit colder than usual.</p><p>"Danny boy, what do you think about ghosts?"</p><p>Danny freezes. Damn, he was so close, only had two more bites left and he would have been home free. </p><p>He glances at his mother to catch her covertly watching him, namely his reaction if he had to guess. </p><p>Danny quickly pulled himself together, shrugging and feigning disinterest. "Ghosts? They're a hot topic at school, but I don't think much of them anymore, I guess." He tried to turn and escape again but his father followed him into the living room, his mother lagging but eventually trailing behind them. </p><p>Jack grabbed the remote and turned on the television, Action News droning on almost inaudibly, likely just so the conversation they were trapping him in could have some background noise.</p><p>"You used to be terrified of them, even the ghost stories we told you when you were little." His father folded his hands behind his head as he plopped onto the couch. "What do you think changed?"</p><p>He eyed the spot on the couch where Jack patted in invite before returning his hand to its spot behind his head, but Danny had no desire to sit and drag out a conversation any longer than he had to, especially if the subject was this risky.</p><p>Was this because of the Plasmius picture on his computer? Why was his father asking about this stuff?</p><p>He didn't like where this was going at all, but he had to play it cool.<br/><br/>There was a brief flare of terror as he began to think that they'd figured him out and were just trying to mess with Phantom's head, asking questions they already knew the answers to, tricking him into admitting the truth, but then it passed as he quickly talked himself down. His parents wouldn't toy with him like this. </p><p>Vlad, definitely, but not his parents.</p><p>He buried that thought in his response, desperately trying to mentally keep his Vlad problems separate from his parent problems. </p><p>"I mean, what was it, four years ago that the ghosts started running around this town? That's a long time. I just got really good at hiding, so I'm less worried about it."</p><p>His mother seemed to find some relief in the answer, but only a portion of the concern left her eyes, "That's good, honey. Very smart." while his father looked utterly befuddled. </p><p>"You're saying you… got used to it? The ghost attacks?" </p><p>Danny glanced back and forth between his parents a few times, brows drawn together as he blinked at them. "You're saying you haven't?"</p><p>Maddie put her fingers to her lips and walked over to take the spot Jack had intended for Danny, thinking out loud as she did so. "I suppose you're right... It was a bit scary in the beginning, if I have to tell the truth, but it's a little less scary now that we have more experience. Back then with those ghosts, and even now with a few of the scarier ones, I felt it. I feel it. The fear response."</p><p>Danny was slightly awed. He'd never heard his mother really express fear too often, now that he thought about it. "I had no idea that you were ever actually scared. Kinda thought you were fearless." They shared a small smile. </p><p>She gave him a cute shrug. "That's what moms want you to think. I just wanted to be strong for you kids and I didn't want anyone hurt so I barreled on in after your father, guns blazing. Someone's gotta protect people from these ghosts." Danny's smile flipped but he tried to hide it when he noticed how proud of herself she looked.</p><p>His father was nodding along with her. "That's right, gotta protect you kids from ghosts…" his voice seemed to fade in the end, an almost sorrowful sound.</p><p>Danny thought he could feel his heart clench. "Hey, it's fine, Jazz and I know what to do when a ghost attacks, guys, and there's only a few nasty ones anyway-" a sharp look from his mother killed his voice in his throat, and his father looked over at him thoughtfully.</p><p>"Danny…" His father started, and Danny could tell he was going to be chided for being <em> naive </em> to what ghosts were capable of.</p><p>Like he didn't know.</p><p>"What?" He barked back, "even you guys kinda said you 'got used' to them- Or, well, 'they're not as scary now', but same vibe!" Why was he getting so defensive?</p><p>Oh god, he was doing it again, running his big stupid mouth. He really needed to stop, but they were just staring at him now, not saying anything! </p><p>"You started with this whole idea in your mind that all ghosts were just evil, malevolent monsters, and then you realized they weren't <em> all </em> as mean and scary as you thought. You found out there's a little more to it, and that you didn't have all the answers." Even with proof they still didn't accept that Phantom was different. </p><p>He had so much more to say, but his parents suddenly looked stony so he stopped himself by literally biting his tongue. He already had the feeling that he was half way through stuffing his foot in his mouth.</p><p>"What's your point, Danny?" The question wasn't harsh or mean spirited, but actually intrigued and interested in what he was saying. He looked over to see his father watching his mother before following her lead and facing him, also interested.</p><p>The corners of his lips turned up the tiniest bit, unbeknownst to him at first, and he released his tongue from between his teeth. This… could be a positive interaction. Informative, maybe educational, if they took his opinion seriously.</p><p>"I-I just mean that, you know, they all seem different. You guys used to go in after that box ghost just as hard as you went after Skulker, but now everyone pretty much knows that some are more dangerous than others, so they require less… fire power. Phantom or Huntress can get rid of some of those weaker ones with a mean enough look. You learned, we all did." He tried to phrase it as delicately as possible but he still felt nervous as he awaited their response. </p><p>Part of him expected them to dismiss him, maybe shake their heads at what a little kid he still was for seeing the ghosts as people, dead or otherwise. He quickly tried to save face with reasoning. "I just mean, like, as scientists, imagine how much more we could know about ghosts over all if you guys would just 'ask questions first and shoot later' instead of the other way around."</p><p>His father leaned forward and his mother did the same, "Ask the ghost questions?" It seemed like a sincere query, like they genuinely wanted to know. He paused and blinked at them.</p><p>Were they really… <em> listening </em> to him? </p><p>He'd been so worried about their weirdness and the seemingly random ghost shield, about them finding out about his other… <em> not-life </em> before he was ready, but he hadn't been preparing himself for when he'd actually have to tell them. </p><p>Could this perhaps be a good time to see if he could <em> maybe </em>sway their opinion a bit? </p><p>"Um, it's just an expression, but asking questions is a good way to get information in general, so yeah, see what they're after, why they’re there. You know, as long as they aren't about to blast you or something." </p><p>Maddie raised a brow, Jack raising both as they stared at him with doubtful expressions. "Talking with a ghost seems pretty dangerous, Danny, don't you think?"</p><p>He lifted his hands palms up and shrugged. "That's why ghost hunters, or <em> paranormal scientists</em>, get paid the big bucks, and <em> I </em> run and hide. Besides, you could always just chill and observe, right? If no one's in immediate danger?"</p><p>His parents were quiet, staring at him intensely once again. Danny inched towards the stairs again. "You know, I really should get back to that homework..."</p><p>"Have you ever talked to a ghost?"</p><p>He only hesitated for a split second, but his dad's eyes narrowed in preemptive distrust.</p><p>"I mean yeah, who in Amity Park hasn't. We've all been captured by ghosts so many times. Like the whole town, all of us." Maddie shook her head at his answer.</p><p>"I mean you personally." She clarified, though they both knew that she really didn't have to. Danny's nervous sidelong glance gave him away.</p><p>He took a deep breath as he decided how to answer. He could turn this in his favor. "Y-yeah, Phantom's saved me a couple times, but he talks to Sam and Tucker too…" </p><p>His parents went rigid despite his reassurances, exchanging shifty glances of their own. Danny only hoped he hadn't just started another rant about his 'pretend hero' alter ego. His goal had been to potentially warm them up to the idea of Phantom, but maybe this wasn't the best way to go about it?</p><p>He really should have planned this…</p><p>"Any other ghosts?" His mother asked quietly, suddenly timid.</p><p>He inhaled the smallest, softest gasp through his nose. "No, not really." </p><p>God how he wished he could lie under pressure. </p><p>It would have been more convincing if he hadn't dropped his gaze from his mother's anxious frown to the couch, the floor, anywhere. He could feel both of his parents' eyes on him, waiting for him to break. Like a siren of hope, Lance Thunder’s hysterical voice cut through the ensuing silence.</p><p>
  <em> "We are reporting LIVE from downtown where a small gang of four animal ghosts and their leader, the mechaghost known as Skulker, continue to terrorize Amity Park Mall!"  </em>
</p><p>All three of them whipped their heads in the direction of the screen just as the camera pans away from Lance to show Skulker laughing as he shot aimlessly at the scattering crowds.</p><p>Of course Lance gets <em> his </em> name right…</p><p>Better late than never, the Ecto Exodus Alarm goes off to alert them to the sudden jump in ectoplasmic energy output around quadrant four.</p><p>That wasn't far from their block. </p><p>The camera jerked left and showed another, much larger ghost, one of the more animal-like specters, dumb and angry. He'd seen ectopusses before, but never so massive. This one's bright purple tentacles spanned over the entire food court and they fidgeted restlessly, as if waiting for something. Probably lunch.</p><p>Danny shook his head and sighed. What the hell. What monstrous beast has that tinhead enslaved now?</p><p>"We've got to help them!" His parents sprung up from the couch facing each other and with a nod Jack ran down to the lab with thunderous steps to prepare their weapons for the Fenton assault vehicle. His mother lagged behind again.</p><p>"Do you think these are the type that will respond well to questions?" If it was supposed to be patronizing it didn't sound that way, at least Danny didn't want to take it that way. </p><p>He looked from his mother back to the tv to see the giant ectopus curl one of its tentacles around one of the fleeing mall goers unfortunate enough to get too close. Danny huffed a dry laugh. </p><p>"Nah, probably not the best candidates for talk therapy, I'd shoot first and ask questions later with these guys." She moved to take off to the basement with his father when she paused.</p><p>"How can you tell?" Her eyes were narrowed in either skepticism or confusion, he wasn't sure.</p><p>"Skulker's attacked Amity, like, a thousand times. Plus Phantom's not even there and he's already shooting things, probably not in the talking mood. I'm no ghost hunter, but I'd like to think that I've picked up a good sense for these things." They stared at each other for another couple seconds, like she was deciding whether or not to believe him before he lost his patience and threw his hands up. </p><p>"Mom! Don't you think you should go?" He shooed her off to the basement, trailing behind and hugging her before she could get too close to the gate or put on a specterdeflector. </p><p>"Be safe, guys. I'm gonna be up in my room." He started toward the stairs before looking back. "Take a Fenton thermos." </p><p>He had a bad feeling. </p><p>Maddie frowned but nodded, "We will baby, don't worry. Now get your grounded butt up there, mister." He rolled his eyes and did as he was told, but slowed his ascent halfway up.</p><p>Maybe he should go ghost and meet them downtown as Phantom, just to make sure nothing happened. Skulker alone was cause for concern, but that ectopus had looked menacing. They might need help. Danny tossed the idea around in his head while he listened to them lug their gear out to the assault vehicle.</p><p>The front door slammed shut as he got to the top of the stairs, and just as they peeled out his ghost sense went off. He was immediately alert, scanning the hall before running over to his room. He swung his door open and looked around, the electric feeling up and down his spine telling him that the ghost was still here, or at least within his ghost sense's range. </p><p>He transformed in a bright flash of light, and as soon as he did so he knew, <em> felt </em> exactly who was in his room.</p><p>"Vlad!" He swung around, sending the man somewhere behind him. "Show yourself, asshole."</p><p>"Well that's not a very endearing pet name." </p><p>Vlad slowly returned to the visible spectrum sitting comfortably at Danny's computer desk as Plasmius. His legs crossed regally, and Danny's eyes followed the movement before they rolled at the man's response.</p><p>"What are you doing here, Fruit Loop?"</p><p>"That pet name isn't much better, but I'll take it." Vlad raised a brow at Danny's confused, expectant look. "And to answer your question, Daniel, Vlad Masters does not get stood up on dates, be they of the fighting variety or otherwise."</p><p>Danny snorted and walked over, mentally cackling at how Vlad's cockiness faltered as he approached. "Okay, one, I did not 'stand you up', I'm grounded. Two, Vlad Masters really shouldn't talk in third person, alter ego or not."<br/><br/>Vlad actually turned his nose up to him.</p><p>He looked the man over when he stood in front of him, noticing that Vlad had worn his hair down in his ghost form, and Danny reached out to touch it. He could do so now, since Vlad was his.</p><p>Vlad was his.</p><p>He couldn't help his small grin as he ran his fingers through soft inky tresses.</p><p>"Wipe that smile off your face, I didn't wear it like this for <em> you </em>." That only made him grin harder.</p><p>"Three, why <em> else </em> would you wear your hair so pretty to train-"</p><p>"Wow, three. I didn't know you could count that high." Vlad smirked and Danny pulled on the lock of hair he'd been playing with, adopting Vlad's smirk when the man hissed and leaned toward him to relieve the tension. </p><p>"Whatever, Fruit Loop. I can't believe you really came here for a date." He stared down at his <em>boyfriend</em> who was too busy fixing his hair to notice. Danny smoothed a hand over the top of Vlad's head, making the older man look up and meet his eyes. </p><p>He wondered if Vlad was also replaying yesterday in his head. What was he thinking? Hopefully he didn’t regret anything after sleeping on it, especially after Danny blew up on him. With their proximity he could feel a curious hesitation from Vlad’s core, maybe a certain cautiousness about him in how they interacted, but on the outside he gave away nothing that indicated regret.<br/><br/>There was, however, a delightfully luminescent blush. Danny brought his hand up to brush his thumb over Vlad's glowing pink cheek, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips as he moved in to kiss the man.</p><p>Then he remembered the mayhem downtown and winced, stepping back to fly away and head to the fight. "But we'll have to rain check again, I gotta go deal with Skulker. And a giant ectopus."</p><p>Vlad grabbed his hand and nearly pulled Danny into his lap. "And three old vultures, don't forget them." </p><p>Danny's brows shot up and he pushed at Vlad's chest to glare down at him. "You! This was you! God, I should have known." Vlad looked amused but feigned disappointment. </p><p>"You really should have, Daniel. I even told you my entire plan last night, and I'm not even that type of villain." He shook his head and chuckled at Danny's annoyed groan, releasing the boy when he squirmed in his hold.</p><p>"Yeah, but…" He couldn't really argue with that. Vlad really <em> had </em> told him, but that had been for feeding and not the fight date, and he'd thought Vlad was at least <em> half </em>-joking…</p><p>He still felt dumb, like Vlad was on easy mode and laid it all out for him and he still hadn't anticipated his plans.</p><p>"I'm teasing, Little Badger. Truly, I came so we could feed and perhaps spar, since you have no intention of actually adhering to your punishment, I'm sure." Danny shrugged and nodded since the older man wasn't wrong, he <em> had </em> just been trying to fly out the window, after all. “Skulker will keep your parents out of our way, nobody gets seriously hurt and your hero virtue remains intact.”</p><p>Danny brought his hand to his chin, imitating Vlad when the man was deep in thought. He didn’t like how the man had said ‘<em>seriously </em> hurt’, but if Vlad had everything under control… "Kicking your ass does sound refreshing, Vladdy."<br/><br/>He smiled sweetly as the other halfa scowled at the name. God he loved messing with Vlad.</p><p>Ugh that L-word was back.</p><p>He immediately averted his eyes from the other man's as he forced down the butterflies. This was normal. Sure they'd just started actually 'dating', but as long as he's known Vlad, as long as he's had the world's weirdest crush on him, it should be perfectly acceptable to feel this way. He really shouldn't be so shaken up over this.</p><p>"Daniel? Are you okay?" Danny blinked at him. "You had a strange look on your face. What's on your mind?" </p><p>Vlad sounded genuinely concerned and Danny scrambled to think of something that didn't have anything to do with <em> feelings</em>. After finally wearing Vlad down he didn’t want to scare him away with something like, <em> ‘Oh, it’s nothing, just contemplating the unfathomable depth of my feelings for you.’ </em> when they’d only been an item for a little over a day.</p><p>"Uh…" He suddenly had a lightbulb moment. The crazy shield. Vlad needed to see the shield. Maybe he’d know what to do! "I gotta show you something!"</p><p>He grabbed Vlad's hand and flew them through the floor, landing them in front of the entrance to the basement. Vlad yanked his hand from Danny's and looked around before settling on his younger counterpart again.</p><p>"And what is it that you're showing me?"</p><p>"This." Danny pointed to the now-closed gate cutting them off from the lab, "Touch it." he said ominously, and not a little maleficently. Seriousness of the situation aside, he’d always find time to prank Vlad.</p><p>Vlad raised a brow. That didn't sound very promising. Glowing red eyes focused on the gate again as he stepped closer. He and Skulker had put together many antighost weapons in his years as a halfa, so he was quite familiar with, and likely more sensitive to, the repulsed sensation one felt when in the presence of something antighost in nature. </p><p>Did Daniel think he was some sort of idiot?</p><p>"Trying to trick me into touching an anti ghost field is hardly conducive to a successful truce, not to mention it's not very boyfriendly." </p><p>Then he went to touch it anyway, the scientist in him interested in how reactive the shield would be. </p><p>Danny grabbed his arm, jerking them both back when the 'invisible' field flickered and seemed to chase after Vlad's hand. Danny gulped. It hadn't done that to him. Maybe this shield was as big a deal as he suspected. Pranking with it had been a stupid idea... That wouldn’t have been very funny at all.</p><p>He forced a laugh, "Yeah, imagine walking into that." He said shakily.</p><p>Vlad stepped forward again, his curiosity getting the better of him. They both felt the field react to his presence, like it was moving with him. Interesting. "I suppose I expected a ghost shield, but this is… surprisingly distinctive." </p><p>"Yeah, I didn't know about that part till now." Danny shook his head as he pulled them away from the shield. After watching it practically reach out to Vlad he wanted to get as far from it as possible. He held Vlad’s arm as he shook his head, sending the older man a wry smile. "I can't believe you’d already figured out there was a shield there and you still tried to touch it."</p><p>Vlad grumbled under his breath, "Your recklessness is probably manifesting somehow. Besides, you <em> told </em> me to touch it. Am I to expect such betrayal from the keeper of my heart?"</p><p>Danny scoffed and hid his blush as he led them back to his room, teasing and going on about how <em> obedient </em> Vlad was to just follow Danny’s orders like that in the first place. Such talk from the boy had the older halfa running incredibly warm and he was desperate to change the subject.</p><p>"When did you first notice the shield, Daniel?"</p><p>Danny sat on his bed, inviting the older man to sit by him, to which Vlad obliged, albeit hesitantly. "This morning. I was trying to eavesdrop and ran straight into it on my way to the stairs, slammed me into the wall." Vlad nodded.</p><p>"I see." He stroked his chin, running through the possibilities. </p><p>"Sam and Tuck said it's probably just them testing new tech, but Vlad, they're just super jumpy and <em> off… </em> Why would they need it in the house? I don't know what to make of it."</p><p>Vlad laid back and got comfortable, but he seemed to be thinking quite deeply. </p><p>Danny didn't know if he was doing it on purpose, but his mentor looked remarkably enticing laying back like that, at least to Danny. His eyes raked over the ghostly form that was somewhat propped up against his pillows, hands behind his head like in his uppity magazine covers. It was almost enough to distract him from the pending disaster downstairs.</p><p>Vlad spoke again, shaking his head as if dismissing some thought.</p><p>"I'm sure your friends are right, they're decently bright children.” Vlad inspected his fingernails disinterestedly. “Your parents have no concept of halfas, so if they haven't discovered you to be Phantom by now, they never will. Not on their own, at least." Danny's brows raised at the blasé dismissal, but he couldn’t exactly dispute the reasoning.<br/><br/>He hadn’t missed what Vlad said about his friends, either.</p><p><em> Decently bright. </em> He'd have to tell them about that later, it was the closest thing to a compliment they'd probably ever hear from Plasmius.<br/><br/>He just expected a bit more concern, as he knew Vlad to be a very careful, calculated man. Was this really not a big deal? Danny chewed his lip, still unsure even with Vlad's reassurances, and now he hovered above where he once sat. He floated over to Vlad and poked at him, his face, his chest.</p><p>"But what about mom and dad? And Vlad, that ectoshield, like, reached out after you. It was freaky.” It had zapped him pretty badly, but he had this horrible intuition that it would have absolutely fried Vlad had he not pulled the other halfa away.<br/><br/>Vlad ran his clawed hand through his hair in one smooth gesture that captivated Danny’s attention for a moment. “Freaky, indeed. Something I do plan on looking into, but not something you should worry about.”<br/><br/>Danny gawked at him. “Um, it’s in my house. What, do I just avoid the lab? The entire kitchen? Until graduation?" Did Vlad not see the many flaws in that plan? "Even if it is just a trial or something-"</p><p>Vlad closed his eyes in a frown and brought one of his hands from behind his head to wave Danny and his poking fingers away. When Danny continued to pester him he grabbed the younger ghost's wrist and held firm.</p><p>"Hush, Daniel, I'll just get your father rambling about his latest work and convince him to power off the ectoshield. Then we can disable or destroy it entirely, if we so choose." Vlad raised up, still gripping Danny's wrist.</p><p>Bright green eyes glowed over Vlad's face in surprise. "Wait, you're actually gonna talk to them? When?" He hoped it was sooner rather than later, he didn't know how long he could tiptoe around the lab without his parents noticing.</p><p>Danny floated lower to practically lay on top of Vlad, bringing the man a rather perverted sense of deja vu. The contact was really affecting his ability to think, especially when his mind kept helpfully flashing back to their last encounter, and it took a great amount of self control to ignore it and maintain their conversation.<br/><br/>He carefully shifted out from under Danny. "I'll get around to it soon." </p><p>He should have known that wouldn't be enough of an answer, and he looked over to find that Danny had sat up to glare down at him. </p><p>Vlad sighed. "I want to be sure that I'll be capable of maintaining a level head, find a story to stick to. I need to figure out which parts of my experiences should be fact and which parts need to be fiction so I don't end up strapped to a table on the other side of their neat new shield."<br/><br/>Green eyes bored into him until their owner decided he was being truthful, then they were playful. </p><p>"So you're stalling until you figure out what to say? That's a very 'me' thing to do, don'tcha think?" Danny smirked and Vlad scowled back at him before standing and facing the bed to glare down at Danny.</p><p>"You're right, yet another thing to blame on feeding from <em> you</em>." </p><p>Danny scoffed and batted his eyelashes in mock innocence. "Be sure to put it in your notes." </p><p>They stared at each other a moment before they both had smiles pulling at the corners of their lips, whether they wanted them or not. Banter and flirting were beginning to blur at this point.</p><p>"Already fighting, again." Danny shook his head, but his smile slowly faded as he remembered the phone call yesterday, Vlad's fading along with it as he felt this strange… uncertainty. Guilt. It was something outside of himself, but he felt it <em> inside</em>.<br/><br/>How strange. He tilted his head curiously at Danny, taking in the troubled frown and slumping shoulders. Of course, because what other outside source could it possibly come from?</p><p>Danny looked up at him, then down at the bed between them. "I'm… sorry about yesterday. Getting paranoid and freaking out on you, like, right after asking you out. Probably not a healthy start…"  </p><p>Vlad stepped forward, knees brushing the bed now as he leaned a bit to tousle Danny's hair.</p><p>"If you were hoping for a healthy relationship with me then I have terrible news for you, Daniel." </p><p>Danny gave a dry huff as he rose up to his knees and half crawled to meet Vlad at the edge of the bed, still around the same height he'd be at if he were standing, so their faces weren't all that far apart. Danny wanted to kiss him. </p><p>"You're right, what was I thinking?" He joked instead, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. </p><p>Vlad very cautiously wrapped his arms around the younger ghost, gaining confidence when he felt Danny relax against him and reciprocate the embrace. "Perhaps you were hoping to pretend our past isn't what it is, or was. Understandable, but I would advise against that."</p><p>"No, it's not that. I can't ever <em> really </em> forget all the things you've done, but… You're different, and I am too. I guess I wanted to 'start anew' or whatever? I think putting it behind us is different from pretending nothing happened." He snuggled into the man's neck and remembered seeing Vlad in the future, a regretful, broken human who only wished he could go back and change. </p><p>This could be that change for Vlad. "I dunno, a long time ago you made me realize that everyone deserves a second chance… I wanna give that to you." </p><p>Vlad chuckled in slight disbelief, "That's sweet." He said sarcastically, wrecking his brain for any past deeds that would warrant such forgiveness from the other halfa, but shamefully came up short. "When was this? I don't recall doing anything particularly honorable in the last few decades." Truly, not a damn thing. If there was a hell he'd be well on his way.</p><p>Danny shrugged, tilting his head to plant a few kisses just below his cheekbone, smiling mischievously when he kissed near Vlad's ear and heard the man stop breathing. </p><p>"Just something you said…" He murmured against Vlad's skin. He was too busy trying to get a reaction out of Vlad to rethink finishing his sentence. "... about six years from now…"</p><p>Vlad promptly pulled away from him, partially to escape the distracting kisses Danny was starting to trail down his neck, but mostly to stare down at him, mystified by the answer.</p><p>Danny paused when he realized what he'd just said, but he held that fervid gaze, just waiting. Vlad was bound to bombard him with questions about the future, and he already felt himself getting piqued about it.</p><p>Vlad could feel it too. He wasn't sure how, but he really could <em> feel </em>how on edge the slip up had Danny.</p><p>It felt like he was daring Vlad to ask, but the older man knew how touchy Danny was about the time travel subject, he was sure that he was on dreadfully thin ice after yesterday, accident or not. Vlad had zero experience as an official boyfriend before yesterday, but even he knew when to avoid an argument. </p><p>He was saved from coming up with a response by the feeling of Danny's core buzzing hungrily, making the other halfa squeeze Vlad's middle as he seized against the painful sensation.</p><p>Again, he felt it. It wasn’t hurting him but he could feel that Danny was in pain, like having a muted, secondary nervous system.</p><p>He could hear the bafflement in his voice as he mumbled, "You should feed soon." simply to fill the silence. He could <em> sense </em> that Danny needed to and it was a bit maddening, like the vibration echoed in his own core. </p><p>Vlad remembered something like this happening when they were lying in bed yesterday, though that had been a far more pleasant sensation. A soft thrumming, but the feeling behind it had been a quiet calm. </p><p>All of it was Danny.</p><p>It was uncanny, recognizing that a feeling is outside of yourself, but feeling it all the same, and yet not. Truly indescribable. </p><p>Vlad stepped back, removing one of the arms he had wrapped around Danny to press his hand over where he felt the other halfa's core to be, wondering if it had something to do with proximity.</p><p>Danny pouted and brought the hand up to his face once the pain stopped, completely oblivious to Vlad’s slightly distressed wonderment as his core continued to ache. "But fight date…"</p><p>Fight date? Daniel was still on about fighting? Could he not feel their cores communicating right now? How could he think about anything else other than ectoplasm and this bizarre <em>connection</em> they shared? Vlad tried to focus his ghostly senses on Danny's core, euphoric when he realized it was an ability he could lean into and manipulate.<br/><br/>Fascinating.</p><p>Should he tell Danny? Maybe it would be better if he didn't, the boy could already read him too well for his liking.</p><p>Well maybe he liked that a little.</p><p>He was suddenly overwhelmed by an intense feeling from Danny, one that felt like success and clarity and a certain playfulness all wrapped into one <em> force </em> of an emotion, and it was the only warning he got before he was shoved away, colliding with the door some feet behind him. </p><p>Maybe he'd leaned a bit <em>too</em> far into it?</p><p>Vlad rubbed his head and glared, baring his teeth at the young ghost floating by the window. He opened his mouth to demand an explanation, not liking that shit-eating grin. Danny reverted back to his old Phantom look, disguising the pointy ears and lifeless complexion.</p><p>"New plan." He buzzed with excitement, delighted by his idea. "Let's make it a game. A training game. Like tag and sparring and feeding all in one." </p><p>Vlad raised an intrigued brow. "Us competing against one another? That sounds like it could be quite disastrous, don't you think?" </p><p>Danny simply stared from across the room until Vlad continued. "What are the parameters?"</p><p>"If you get caught and you lose the spar, you're the chew toy first. How's that?"</p><p>Vlad smirked dangerously and subtly moved into a stance primed to strike. "Sounds… interesting. I'm in."</p><p>Danny gave him a fangy sneer back. "Good, because you're <em> it</em>, Fruit Loop."</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gimme that comment baby hhnnngg~ uwu</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The Observation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Fentons see how ghosts interact without the interference of humans</p><p> </p><p>I hc ghosts looking/sounding different to the human eye/ear, spooky echo and glow and all that.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Posting this was a struggle with my shitass laptop but we made it.<br/>I had a bunch of profound shit to say but honestly my brain is fried. Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>Jack and Maddie signaled to each other as they panted from behind the cover of a building. An ectoplasmic beam nearly shot Jack's head off his shoulders when he peered from behind the wall, and they jumped back and ran further into the alley.</p><p>First they rescued the civilian they'd seen earlier from the broadcast, and then wrestled another unfortunate soul from the clutches of the giant ectopus, and Jack subdued the ghostly beast while she shooed away those mouthy birds. She hadn't even had to shoot at them, they just buzzed off as soon as she ran at them, perching themselves on top of a building some ways away to watch the show.</p><p>That was… odd. Then again, she'd hesitated. Danny's words about <em> listening </em> and <em> observing </em> started playing in her head, and by the time she snapped out of it they had already flown out of range.</p><p>They'd mostly been swarming around anyway, more terrorizing the mall goers than attacking them. Still, she'd expected a little more fight out of them.</p><p>One of the birds caught Maddie's eye, talking to the other two without looking away from her, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She flinched as their wings flapped unexpectedly, and she saw them fly up and perch themselves just a bit further away from her to watch everything unfold.</p><p>If they weren't there to fight or hurt people then what were they doing? Why were they there? </p><p>Maddie shook her head at her own lack of action and tucked the thought away for later before running to help her husband with the other specter.</p><p>Despite its size, the ectopus had been pretty easy to take down once they got close enough to hit it with the Jack o' Nine Tails. After they fried the thing with a high enough charge it exploded into a mess of steaming ghost goo, the reach so vast that she really pitied the janitor assigned to the food court that day.</p><p>She wiped as much of the goo from her suit as she could, Jack doing the same as they snuck around the destroyed mall in search of their last opponent. </p><p>He found them first.</p><p>"...hunting <em> me </em>?" Was all she heard before the dumpster they were crouched behind exploded. She jumped away and rolled to catch herself, holding her head when she was back upright. She couldn't hear anything outside of the ringing in her ears, but Skulker's laughter was slowly fading back in.</p><p>She blinked the blurriness from her eyes and shot off three blasts in his general direction before she was dragged away by Jack.</p><p>"You okay, honey?" He removed her goggles and looked into each of her eyes to make sure they were focused. "That was close."</p><p>She nodded dizzily.</p><p>He pet her hair before returning her goggles to their rightful place, leaving her to adjust them as they crept into the city through the allies, unsure of which party was the prey at this point. Jack had pulled out the Fenton Finder but they were mostly following the robotic sound of Skulker's suit. This felt like a trap. From what she knew about this ghost, it was all about the hunt, his obsession. This was entertainment. Danny had even said not to bother with this lot, but here she was overthinking again. </p><p>They looked for somewhere to stop so Jack could reload, so they were nestled between two buildings a few blocks from the mall. Maddie wouldn't say it out loud but she herself was still a bit winded from the explosion, so she was happy to stop, and it gave her time to gather her thoughts.</p><p>First, the vulture ghosts lingering in the distance, Skulker's admittedly fascinating predatory behavior, and then there was Phantom and his hero shtick. For some reason these things kept sticking out to her now, she kept noticing little behaviors that she hadn't before, like how there seemed to be a focus outside of the general menacing, always something. She'd already been aware of obsession, but had never thought much deeper than the surface level of the subject. Why were they obsessed? How did it affect a ghost's manifestation? Its abilities?</p><p>She could only imagine what information they'd have if they'd just been more observant in the early years. How many little things did they miss over all this time while she and Jack were just charging in like a pair of angry bulls…</p><p>They'd just wanted to be <em> rid </em> of them after a while, there were so many! But then it was just that many missed opportunities to learn more about these… beings.</p><p>Maybe if they'd been studying Plasmius and his motivations sooner then they might have already known his weakness by now, how to trap him.</p><p>They could have gotten ahead of this.</p><p>If they had, Danny wouldn't be haunted right now.</p><p>Jack stopped abruptly in front of her as the Fenton Finder beeped.</p><p><em> "Two high level entities now within range." </em> </p><p>She heard a loud crash some distance away and they immediately pointed their weapons up ahead in the direction of the sound, the same direction as Fenton Works. </p><p>They looked up just in time to watch in horror as one of the satellites on top of their Ops Center burst into bright pink flames, followed by a loud crash and a hauntingly familiar laugh. </p><p>The Fentons looked from their home to each other, then to their home again before it dawned on them. </p><p>"<em> Danny. </em>" They whispered simultaneously, breathless.</p><p>This whole time they'd been following that mechanical sound, they hadn't taken notice of where it seemed to be leading them, and it was only then that they realized they were just a few blocks from home, closer there than they were to the mall now. Following the mecha-ghost on foot had taken them too far from their assault vehicle, so they broke into a dead run, covering the remaining ground in under three minutes at their breakneck pace.</p><p>The adrenaline kept them going. Jack cleared the front steps before he nearly kicked the door off its hinges, and she shouted at him to go take care of the fire on the roof while she raced up the stairs to Danny's room and swung the door open.</p><p>It was empty.</p><p>She turned the place upside down, checking his closet, under his bed, then she ran downstairs to check the living room, the kitchen, then back up to check Jazz's room. Nothing. They were too late, Danny was gone.</p><p>She went to search the rest of the house when something zipped past Jazz's window, almost too fast for her to catch, but she saw enough to recognize it as Phantom. She was already facing the window when the second ghost flew by.</p><p>Plasmius.<br/><br/>For a millisecond she felt like her brain stalled. Danny was gone and Plasmius just <em> happened </em> to be around? With a slight start she jumped back into action and ran down the hall, using the wall to propel her forward and nearly smashing into Jack on his way up.</p><p>"Mads! I saw Plasmius and Phantom from the Ops-"</p><p>"He has Danny." She pulled him the rest of the way down the stairs.</p><p>"What?” Terror painted his face as he gripped Maddie’s upper arms. “I didn't see him out there... Do you think…?"</p><p>She stopped in the doorway, shaking her head. "He's wearing him or something?" It wasn’t something she wanted to think about.</p><p>Jack's brows rose to his hairline. "You think Plasmius could do that and look like himself? So Danny's <em>inside</em> <em>him-?"</em></p><p>"I don't know!" She shouted, a tear falling and pooling in her goggles. "I'm grasping at straws! I don't know enough and I don't understand!" Jack grabbed her hand and tugged her back when she tried to turn away, resting a hand on her shoulder as she swallowed her emotions and pulled herself together.</p><p>She'd been theorizing and trying to figure it all out but the closer she got to these ghosts the less sense this any of it made. She didn’t have time to break down right now, and if she looked at Jack then she knew she’d start bawling and her son <em> needed </em> her-</p><p>"I don't know," she repeated resolutely, "but I do know that Danny is missing and Plasmius <em>at</em> <em>least</em> has something to do with it. I'm going to follow them and find our son, and possibly vaporize that blue son of a bitch."</p><p>Jack squeezed her shoulder, "Then let's go." Just as she was shutting the door behind them he placed a small gadget in her hand, instructing her to clip it to the frame of her goggles.</p><p>"A camera?" </p><p>He shrugged and looked off to the side. "I was thinking about what Danny said, about observing and all that. Amity CC cams are virtually unhackable. Figured we could use the footage." He strapped his own to his head and took off in a run with the Fenton Finder. </p><p>Maddie quickly followed, a little tickled by how in sync they were, despite the situation. That was a really good idea actually, since they were bound to miss a few things in the moment. The fact that Jack- <em> Jack Fenton </em> , was entertaining Danny's passive ghost philosophies was beyond words. Jack had been absolutely enthralled with ghosts since the day they met, and Vlad too, who she later learned had become invested in the subject after the death of his mother. The accident made Vlad drop all of that, for the most part, but she hadn't thought anything could change Jack that way. Perhaps they could both change their mindset, think of these beings as something more like animals, or even people, as opposed to inherently malevolent entities. She'd rethink, change, <em> do </em> anything if it meant getting Danny back.</p><p>Luckily Jack seemed just as willing.</p><p>The ghosts had been living people at one point, so human psychology was still applicable, and they'd absorbed quite a few things from all of Jazz's dinner table lectures.</p><p>They could do this. They could figure this ghost out together and save their son.</p><p>They checked all of his usual haunts just in case, while keeping a close eye on those blinking dots on Jack's screen. The Finder beeped and drawled out a dull warning as they approached the old mattress factory. <em> "High level entity approaching. Duck." </em></p><p>The two stared at it quizzically before narrowly dodging a stray ectoblast from above. They pressed themselves against the side of the building, Jack too busy fussing with silencing the Finder to see what was happening almost right above their heads, but Maddie couldn’t look away.</p><p>"Jack." She blindly reached back to grab his arm, not taking her eyes off of the fighting in the distance. "Jack, they're right there."</p><p>They watched as the ghosts flew closer, Plasmius chasing Phantom again, an odd change of pace for them, and the Fentons crouched down when the two finally zoomed overhead.</p><p>Plasmius closed in on Phantom, grabbing one of his ankles and pulling him backwards so he could grab the other and fling him into the side of a building.</p><p>Phantom smacked into the wall and crumpled to the ground, swaying a bit as he picked himself back up and shot after Plasmius, but it didn't seem to slow him down much beyond that.</p><p>Now it seemed Plasmius was the one on the run.</p><p>She and Jack crept in the shadows, behind cars and between buildings, all to follow the ever-migrating duel as best as possible, without getting caught by the ghosts fighting above. Jack looked back at her when they stopped, their subjects landing not far off to throw fists again. "Well, I guess we know why Phantom wasn't around to fight the mall ghosts." </p><p>Thinking about the mall reminded her of their original foe and she quickly scanned all around, sure that he'd just appear somehow. </p><p>Now they had three ghosts to deal with. </p><p>Well, not really.</p><p>Skulker must have gotten away at some point, but she'd forgotten about him as soon as she realized her son wasn't where he was supposed to be. She couldn't be bothered with Robo-ghost anyway when the two most infamous specters in Amity Park were just a few yards away, and they were basically dealing with themselves…</p><p>So technically they didn't have <em> any </em> ghosts to deal with.</p><p>Maddie nodded, simply to show Jack she heard him, but her attention was consumed by Plasmius picking Phantom up by the front of his suit and raising him up off the ground, a disturbing smile on his face. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to an almost inaudibly low pitch.</p><p>She could hear him and see his mouth moving, but couldn't quite make out the words. It was surely trash talk, judging by the tone and the general history those two had. The fact that she and Jack were near enough to the altercation to see facial expressions and not get melted by ectoplasm was good enough for now.</p><p>Jack's wary, but unwavering stare told her that he shared the sentiment. This was an opportunity. Seldom were they so close to a ghost feud without it being broken up by Phantom- because it <em> was </em> Phantom this time.</p><p>The same Phantom that always saved the day and chased their potential prey away before they could get anything back to the lab for study. The same Phantom she'd seen take on an entire ghost army- looking quite worse for wear after what was an undoubtedly bitter defeat. She absently wondered what Plasmius would do to him, how long they'd been fighting. Probably nothing good, and they must have been going at it for a while, judging by Phantom's scuffed up suit and heaving chest.</p><p>She saw Plasmius' grip tighten around Phantom's neck and he made this… choking sound before reaching up to claw at the fingers. Her chest tightened strangely, a visceral reaction to the violence despite them just being a couple of spooks.</p><p>It was just… the sounds. The reactions. </p><p>These were the only ghosts that she knew of that got this physical with one another when they clashed. Of course they fired blasts now and then, utilized other such ectoplasmic energy manifestations, but something about the way the glowing goo bled from their wounds was too <em> alive </em> for her tastes… </p><p>The way they actually fought each other was just so… <em> human</em>. </p><p>It was a lot of hand to hand blows, claws, swings and kicks, quite different from the other entities that ran amuck in their town.</p><p>Maddie frowned, anxiously leaning forward as Plasmius delivered a brutal punch to the gut, so hard that the wall behind Phantom cracked. She found herself wincing back.</p><p>She felt… bad for him. For Phantom. </p><p>Maddie shook her head. Observing them didn't mean she had to empathize with them. She was taking it too far, falling for Phantom's pathetic ruse like half the town.</p><p>Phantom could be just as tricky and manipulative as Plasmius, he just had different tactics.</p><p>Though his slumping over and bleeding green goo everywhere didn't seem very deliberate, especially since he didn't know they were watching...</p><p>The business end of the Fenton Bazooka moved into her peripheral vision and she whipped her head to the side, delicately placing her hand on the weapon to slowly lower it as she pressed a finger over her lips. She gestured to the quarreling halfas...</p><p>"Wait, Jack." He gave her a funny look but followed her lead and watched the ghosts interact. He figured it was best to have a weapon at the ready when dealing with the Wisconsin ghost, but he deferred to her judgment. He wasn't going to actually shoot him anyway, otherwise they'd never find Danny. His wife was really taking Danny's words to heart.</p><p>But how did they know that Plasmius didn't <em> want </em> them thinking like this? Maybe he <em> made </em> Danny say all of those things about not shooting ghosts, just so they'd hesitate when the time came, like they were doing right now...</p><p>It was a stretch, but not by much when it came to that monster.</p><p>And maybe Jack just wanted an excuse to shoot him. There was just something about Plasmius in particular that made his skin crawl... </p><p>The ghost spoke, his voice deep and sinister enough to carry across the wreckage.</p><p><em> "So what constitutes a win, my boy? Must I wait for you to tap out?" </em> Plasmius tilted his head upon the strangled response he received.</p><p><em> "Hmm? What was that Little-" </em> He was cut off with a sharp <em> 'oof!' </em> when Phantom kicked his feet out, nailing the other ghost in the chest and sending him flying back into a nearby stack of crates. The Fentons crouched low to stay out of sight, straining their ears to make out what they were saying in the distance. The spooky distortion to their voice didn't help.</p><p><em> "You win when I can't do </em> that<em>, cheesehead." </em></p><p>Plasmius grinned, Phantom returning the look as they primed to charge at one another again before a shot rang out and the blast fired between their faces, making them both jump back. She watched in utter awe as the ghosts stopped their fight to glare threateningly at the third party, who walked over with a gun aimed at each of them.</p><p>Skulker.</p><p>Now they really were dealing with three ghosts.</p><p><em> "I am </em> <b> <em>done</em> </b> <em> being the distraction for you abominations. She actually hit me this time. I did my part and I want my compensation." </em> His weapons began to charge with a high pitched whine and she heard Phantom snort.</p><p><em> "Wow, 'abominations' </em> ." Phantom repeated, sharing a faux-affronted pout with Plasmius, who seemed to have found the term equally amusing. <em> "That was hurtful. And hey, what happened to 'No amount or bounty could convince me to take a job from him now', huh?" </em> He jabbed his thumb over to his fellow 'abomination'.</p><p>Plasmius laughed raucously at that, wiping a fake tear from his eye. <em> "Everyone has a price, child."  </em></p><p>Both Skulker and Phantom rolled their eyes before the former disarmed his blaster. <em> "I'm done here. I expect payment at my lair-" </em></p><p><em> "Already done. Bye now." </em> Maddie watched the exchange with wide eyes.</p><p>She'd never seen ghosts sit still and speak with each other this long, especially with known enemies. She's again reminded of how that was likely because she would have normally already started firing at them but she pushed it aside. She was seeing it now, that's what mattered.</p><p>She watched a tense staring match between Plasmius and Skulker, Phantom looking back and forth between the two before Skulker just… flew away, as if Plasmius had dismissed him. </p><p>Were they <em> not </em> enemies? There was clearly some sort of hierarchy at play. She'd seen a few alliances between ghosts, but she hadn't expected things to be this… civil.</p><p>Phantom casually floated over to Plasmius, hovering at his shoulder as they watched Skulker fly off. His voice, though distorted, had a distinctively mocking air to it as he circled the larger ghost. <em> "Ooh, got him with the </em> <b> <em>scary eyes</em> </b> <em> -" </em></p><p>Plasmius blasted him before he could continue and suddenly they were off again, Plasmius hot on Phantom's tail. She and Jack trailed behind them on foot but they couldn't keep up, watch, and hide all at the same time. Even so, now and then she could see Plasmius' face, grinning tauntingly, but that wasn't unusual for him. What caught her attention was the identical sneer on Phantom's face. They were both smiling, even as they traded blows.</p><p>Were they… playing? </p><p>Maybe observing ghosts like animals was a better approach than they thought? </p><p>They lost track of the sparring ghosts and she signaled to Jack for them to run across the street, ducking under some neon construction tape into a condemned studio to remain out of sight in case the ghosts were still near.</p><p>They didn't want to be seen and risk riling one of the spooks into coming after them or attacking someone else. That danger aside, if they knew a human was watching then she would miss how they acted away from the eyes of the living. They were obviously very different, and she was dying to know what they discussed amongst themselves, communicating freely.</p><p>Maybe she'd hear something that confirmed her theories and proved her right- Plasmius saying something about having her son, or even catching Phantom in some terrible act and revealing his true evil nature. It looked like he and Plasmius might even be in cahoots with one another.</p><p>Their fighting had seemed more frisky than it usually was, maybe because they thought they were alone. She peeked out from the window, nudging aside the plastic sheet that hung where glass should have been. Where were they now?</p><p>She frowned and looked back to Jack who was holstering their ectoguns across the room so he could get the Fenton Finder out again, and just as she opened her mouth to call out to him there was a loud <em> boom </em> and the ceiling caved in- or so they thought.</p><p>She squinted to see through the falling dust, as most of the damage had been closer to her, and she could barely make out Jack hiding just out of sight behind a large shelving unit. Maddie followed his wide gaze to the groaning heap of black, white, and a somewhat alarming amount of green on the floor between them. Phantom. That had been Phantom crashing through the ceiling.</p><p>Phantom, on the floor not ten feet away from her.</p><p>Shit. Jack had her gun. She cowered behind a stack of pallets, holding her breath while she gaped through the spaces as the ghost slowly lifted himself from the rubble, shaking it off his head before going intangible. They watched with utter awe as the dust and debris simply fell through him, and he reappeared sans his layer of dirt.</p><p>She flinched when he suddenly coughed, a loud hacking noise that was, again, unnervingly human, followed by another groan. He braces his hands on his knees and leans over, taking a rattling breath as he shook his head.</p><p><em> "Fucking asshole…" </em>she was close enough to hear him wheeze the curse, and he could only have been talking about one person, or rather one 'being'. </p><p>She'd had many close calls with Phantom before, but it was still strange to be <em> this </em> close, this quiet. He himself wasn't usually this still, either. Was he… hurt? She used to believe ghosts couldn't feel pain, but after so many ghost attacks they quickly found that this just wasn't the case. They may not feel it the same way, but they could definitely <em> experience </em> pain, and Phantom looked to be having quite an experience himself. Maybe this battle wasn't play after all?</p><p>And why was he making all of those strangled noises? Why bother with the fake breathing and such if no one was there to see it?</p><p>She honestly thought about asking him. After all, those were Danny's exact words of advice. She was a little wary in heeding said advice when she knew Plasmius was likely influencing those very words, but the logic was sound enough and his puppy eyes were devastatingly convincing.</p><p>They'd been too reckless for too long.</p><p>Jack's eyes snapped to her when she began to move, shaking his head 'no' in a jerky fashion when it became clear that she intended to approach their long time foe. She carried on, making sure her movements were deadly silent, not even breathing as she took her first step, her foot making soundless contact, and she slowly shifted her weight.</p><p>All of the sudden his head snapped up, jerkily looking around the room with an astounding alertness for someone who was presumably <em> thrown </em> through the roof of the now-collapsed building they were in. She froze, and she prayed that the ghost wouldn't see Jack with that gun. Phantom may have been nice to her son and his friends, but she wasn't sure if that would extend to his ghost-hunter parents. </p><p>Her mind briefly flashed to those times that Phantom had tried to talk with her, convince her of his sincerity and good will, but she'd been so sure that it was some kind of ploy to get under their skin and catch them off guard. </p><p>Maddie held her position, eyes stuck on him, her goggles helping subdue the glow and better see the ghost's form. </p><p>This was even closer than before, and by quite a bit too. </p><p>Phantom had always looked remarkably… <em> solid. </em>She didn't know how he did it. Without the goggles or the scopes on their weapons he appeared just as glowy and nearly translucent as the other ghosts tended to look, but with these, he always looked so touchable. For years she'd wanted to take him apart, just to figure out why. </p><p>She watched as he suddenly twisted to look behind him, up at the sky, just in time for Plasmius to plow into him.</p><p>The impact they made with the ground was almost as loud as the ceiling caving, the sheer force with which Plasmius slammed him onto his back making another resounding <em> boom </em> that she could feel in her feet.</p><p>She waited for the dust to settle once more, easily finding a moving silhouette even behind the cloudy veil as the shadow rose to stand, towering with a somehow pompous posture. Plasmius. He loomed over Phantom's laid out form, the ghost boy's head at his feet. </p><p>The older spook(surely he was older, right?) leaned over his fallen adversary, pointed teeth pricking his bottom lip as he leered down at the boy.</p><p>
  <em> "Will you be a good boy and admit defeat now? You're looking a little worn out."  </em>
</p><p>A groan and another strangely wet cough. <em> "I think you broke my ribs." </em></p><p>The fanged grin stretched wider, <em> "Oh, poor baby. You'll feel better after you feed. Second, like a loser." </em>His hand glowed a blindingly bright pink with a charging blast aimed straight down at the other ghost's face.</p><p><em> "Any last words, Danny Phantom?" </em>Maddie's heart leapt into her throat.</p><p>Phantom though, fearless as ever, looked unimpressed, despite the obviously unfavorable odds.</p><p><em> "Yeah, six." </em> He smirked. <em> "I can see up your skirt." </em></p><p>Maddie never thought she'd ever see a ghost blush, but here she was, watching his cheeks go from blue to some odd fuchsia color before he blasted right next to Phantom's face. Hearing the ghost boy shut him up so easily took away a bit of the fear factor as well. She would have laughed herself if she hadn't been so stunned by Plasmius <em> helping Phantom up. </em></p><p>He grunted and leaned on the other ghost, the dim green light from his eyes disappearing when he closed them.</p><p>The entire room glowed red for a moment.</p><p>Phantom's eerie voice eventually echoed through the cluttered space once more. </p><p>
  <em> "What did you give Skulker to incentivise him to work with you again?" </em>
</p><p>He remembered Skulker expressing explicit desire to <em> not </em> do that when he found out Vlad was a feeder, so he was curious. It had nothing to do with distracting himself or the weird nerves he still got every time he knew they were about to bite into each other.</p><p>Vlad raised his brow in a judgmental sneer, like Danny was some kind of idiot. It was his least favorite of the older man's facial expressions, hands down. </p><p>"<em>Access to technological resources on and off the market?"</em> Why <em>wouldn't </em>Skulker want to work for him? <em>"Money?"</em></p><p>Danny actually frowned at that, tilting his head to the side, <em> "What? What would a ghost need with money?" </em></p><p><em> "What sort of currency do you think ghosts deal in?" </em> Danny shrugged.</p><p>
  <em> "Uh… trade?" </em>
</p><p>The corners of Vlad's mouth briefly pulled down into another one of those frowns before he caught himself, but Danny saw and tried not to laugh. Was he getting frustrated?</p><p>Vlad's eyes closed as he sighed.<em> "Skulker's situation is unique. With my other lackies I deal exclusively in threats. You're aware he is, in reality, a very low level ghost, and that shell of his is all just regular metal, really. Haunted, deadly, and heavily armed, but the suit itself is technically nothing supernatural-" </em></p><p>
  <em> "No, ugh, spare me the nerd talk, I mean why wouldn't he just steal it? Hell, why not just steal shit from you if you supply it anyway?" </em>
</p><p>Vlad scoffed at that. <em> "Because he's not stupid. You're one of the only individuals who dares to cross me. A very special kind of foolish." </em>He glared at the younger ghost, who only laughed at him, unable to withhold it any longer.</p><p>
  <em> "Oh please, like you're so scary anymore-" </em>
</p><p>Danny cut off with a grunt as Vlad slammed him into the wall, then proceeded to grip his neck just below his jaw and steadily push him up the wall until he was pinned there, his feet dangling.</p><p>Vlad leered up at him with another vicious sneer as he struggled and choked like before, but this time his squirming only drew Vlad's eyes to his body. Danny's eyes widened when he saw the ghost's forked tongue peek out to wet his lips, making what seemed like a very involuntary hissing sound.</p><p>Danny went slack and red eyes trailed back up to his face, looking terribly amused by the response. A shiver ran through him making him choke again and Vlad chuckled, a truly sadistic laugh that incited the most exhilarating feeling. There was this thrilling rush of adrenaline coursing through him, thrumming wildly in his core like a mix of fear and excitement and… other things.</p><p>Vlad leaned in close again, his breath almost too hot against his ear. <em> "I can feel how much you like this, Daniel…" </em></p><p>Green eyes shot to the side in an attempt to gawk at him. So Vlad could feel him too? This was a pretty crappy way to find that out...</p><p>Danny heard the older halfa laugh again, probably feeling the dread that was likely manifesting in his core. </p><p>
  <em> "If you want scary Vlad back so very badly, you need only ask, Little Badger."  </em>
</p><p>Maddie couldn't hear what they were saying when they were whispering so closely like that again, but that's what audio enhancement was for. Whatever Plasmius was saying to Phantom had to be deeply unsettling, judging by the tremors that wracked his form. Maddie watched it all play out in a state of disturbed confusion as Plasmius' gloved grip moved up Phantom's throat to clutch his jaw instead, then that long serpentine tongue was dragged all the way up from Phantom's neck to the gash at his temple to collect the ectoplasm that had dripped down his face.</p><p>
  <em> "Now it's time the winner takes his prize." </em>
</p><p>Danny felt something in him pulse with delight when Vlad flashed his fangs and jerked his head to the side. His eyes were squeezed shut as he braced for the pain, but it never came. Instead Vlad's lips ghosted over his skin, stopping once, twice, to press a kiss to his neck. </p><p>Vlad was messing with him.</p><p>Danny's eyes snapped open, ready to give him a piece of his mind, and then suddenly it felt like time slowed down. The pointed tips of Vlad's fangs dragged teasingly just as his bleary gaze focused on the teal figure gaping at him from the shadows. </p><p>He immediately began to thrash and frantically shove against Vlad, trying to warn him.</p><p><em> "V- Plasmius! Wh- Hold on-!" </em>Plasmius' thumb only pressed harder into his cheek, forcing his face to remain in that position, looking straight at his mom.</p><p><em> "I mean it-! Stop! I'll-" </em> And just as he began to muster the energy to use his ghostly whisper, his wail, <em> something</em>, Vlad's hand smacked over his mouth.</p><p><em> "Nah-ah-ah~" </em> He sang tauntingly. "<em>None of that, now. I won, and I've toyed with you long enough." </em> Vlad finished with a growl.</p><p>Danny froze. This was different from the other times they fed. He couldn't sense anything too malicious coming from the other halfa, but there was an unsettlingly dark glee that, for just a second, made him feel fourteen again.</p><p>Maybe starting a game of cat and mouse with the most petty, entitled sore loser he knew wasn't his brightest move. He should have known Plasmius wouldn't be a graceful winner.</p><p>Vlad was obviously just as worked up as he was after the fight, and Danny had promised that the victor gets first bite, he just hadn't imagined the man would be so… eager to claim that prize. </p><p>Vlad was usually pretty hesitant about it, so maybe he was just really, uh, hungry? That coupled with his competitiveness and the overall nature of fighting probably had him happy to sink his teeth into something.</p><p>Even so he continued to scream at Vlad, angry, but it was muffled by the heavy gloved hand over his mouth. His furious growls were replaced with a whimper when he felt himself falling limp in Vlad's grasp, a haziness taking over his mind as the other halfa drew from his core.</p><p>Fuck. <em> Fuck. </em>This was not a good place for him to be stuck and immobilized. They were gonna die, or worse, find themselves trapped in his parents' newly fortified basement of horrors.</p><p>All because Vlad wouldn't <em> listen.</em></p><p>This was exactly what he needed. These were the kinds of questions he was looking forward to when he told his parents what he was,  if he ever found the courage. </p><p>He felt Vlad's arm circle his waist to keep him from crumbling to the floor and another indignant sound escaped him as he felt the man's tongue against his skin. There was a sharp suck at his neck in retaliation and he gave up, unable to fight back when his already starving core was being drained. He saw his mom's jaw go slack and he gave a pathetically embarrassed sob. He didn't want her seeing him like <em> this</em>, especially not with Plasmius. He'd feel weird being like this with anyone in front of his mom, but the fact that it was Vlad's evil ghost persona made it feel twice as wrong. She didn't know it was Vlad, but still, <em> he </em> did, and it felt like he was standing naked in front of his whole class or something.</p><p>He wanted to disappear. </p><p>Vlad jerked at the muffled cry, the heaving of Danny's chest. He quickly moved back, holding Phantom up by the shoulders and looking into his glazed eyes.</p><p><em>"What's wrong, Dan-"</em> Danny furiously nodded to his mother's direction before returning his glare to Plasmius, wishing he could move so he could fucking blast the other ghost right now.</p><p>They both looked over to Maddie, who was frozen in a low crouch, obscured by junk that they hadn't been paying attention to. Vlad yanked his hands away like he'd been burned and Danny fell to the ground, clutching his ribs and tentatively touching the leaking puncture wounds in his neck. Bastard. </p><p>He looked up to see that Vlad had discreetly moved between them but seemed lost as to what to do next. He himself was just amazed that his mother hadn't tried to kill them yet. </p><p>Oh fuck, how long had she been there?</p><p>They simply stared at her, and her at them, or more specifically Plasmius. Her eyes hadn't left the older halfa since Danny'd made him aware of her presence.</p><p>She hadn't seen him this close up in years, neither of them really, but especially not Plasmius. He wasn't blushing like before, so he looked every bit as imposing as he usually did, but this could very well be her only chance to ever talk to him.</p><p>She could only hope that Danny was right, that this would be worth it.</p><p>"W-where's my son?"</p><p>She expected evil laughter, some kind of taunt or crazy show of power, but there was no such thing. They simply stared at her, looking remarkably confused. Their faces were so expressive, so familiar past their glow and teeth and eyes. She shouldn't be able to read them so easily.</p><p>She repeated herself, slower this time, her voice just a touch more firm when Plasmius didn't attack right away.</p><p>Both Phantom and Plasmius blinked, sharing a shocked look between them. Maddie Fenton didn't <em> talk </em> to ghosts. Especially not her least favorite ghosts.</p><p>Their stunned silence dragged on as Danny fought to regain feeling. Maybe if they stalled long enough he'd be able to fly out of here. He figured that's what Vlad was doing, but he seemed genuinely speechless.</p><p>Maddie grit her teeth, almost growling. "Just tell me where he is, ghost!" </p><p>Vlad didn't know what to do. There Maddie was, vulnerable and appearing to be unarmed, looking up at him from the floor. The last time she'd confronted him as Plasmius without a weapon had been the reunion, and for some reason it made <em> him </em> feel cornered. She'd put him in a box. He didn't want her knowing who he was, and a ghost hunter couldn't just make demands of <em>Plasmius</em> and not expect to get hurt.</p><p>With a cryptic glance to Danny he eased into character, curling his lip as he smirked at her so his fangs gleaming threateningly as he approached.</p><p><em> "Uh oh, it seems your little ghost hero can't save you this time…" </em>Maddie spares a nervous glance to Phantom, who glared up at Plasmius when the man inched forward some more.</p><p>An electrically charged blast shot across the room, clipping Vlad in the shoulder and throwing him on top of Danny. They both groan, Danny from his previous injuries, Vlad from the shot. They were a mess of pink and green now, both 'bleeding' ectoplasm from their various wounds, Danny holding his ears from the electric screeching noise that erupted from the gun.</p><p>Through the burn Vlad found himself feeling thankful to have been thwarted this time around.</p><p>What would he have done to keep up the act? Hurt Maddie? Steal her away somewhere? For what? His heart wasn't in it, and he'd been at a loss for what his next move was supposed to be. Was keeping up appearances worth it?</p><p>He didn't have to figure it out, in the end.</p><p>Vlad pulls himself off of Danny, looking over his shoulder to see Maddie gawking and Jack charging up another shot off to the side. He immediately formulates a plan, his normally quick thinking coming in fragments given the stakes of the situation. It was harder to think when he actually cared about how this turned out for everyone involved. </p><p>
  <em> Daniel stuck… Jack armed… Maddie unarmed… </em>
</p><p>He turns back and grips Danny's jaw again, turning his head to whisper to him, his ectoplasm covered lips brushing against Danny's still-ringing ear<em>. "I'll distract them, they're looking for you. Get home safe, Little Badger."</em></p><p>Vlad got up and lunged to grab at Maddie. He'd dangle her in front of Jack, lead him and that blasted weapon away from Daniel. Another shot zoomed in front of him before he could get close and he flinched back before teleporting across the room. He grit his teeth. </p><p>There goes that plan.</p><p>Her demands from earlier suddenly gave him another idea. Perhaps he wouldn't actually need to have <em> Maddie </em> in his clutches to get Jack, and her, to follow him?</p><p>He slowly turned his head back to smirk at Jack, his body still facing away from the man. It was ominous and owl-like, and just enough to trigger his dad's fight or flight response.</p><p>Jack Fenton never chose flight.</p><p><em>"Come and get me if you want your son, you blubbering oaf."</em> And like that Vlad had Jack chasing him from the dilapidated building.</p><p>But Maddie stayed behind. </p><p>They both sat in silence, feeling naked without their usual defenses. </p><p>She stared at him a moment longer before slowly crawling forward on her hands and knees. Danny swallowed. He was getting feeling back in his limbs, but not fast enough to fight, and his core was aching for Vlad's ectoplasm to replenish his drained resources. </p><p>He didn't see her pulling out any weapon, but she kept coming closer. He tried with all his might to turn intangible, sinking way too slowly into the floor for his liking when her voice stopped him midway.</p><p>"Wait!" Both were a bit shocked when he listened, stopping with most of himself still protruding from the ground. She faltered and glanced at the green dripping down from where Plasmius had torn into him and shuddered. </p><p>She'd never seen a ghost do <em> that </em> before. </p><p>"A-are you okay?"</p><p>Maddie couldn't believe what she'd just asked him, a ghost, but she imagined having your neck ripped open was unpleasant for all beings. She wasn't sure what kind of answer she would get. For a moment he didn't react to the question at all, like she hadn't spoken beyond demanding that he stay.</p><p>Part of her expected Phantom to lash out or disappear, but once again he proved to be quite unlike other ghosts. He laughed bitterly, holding his side and wincing as though in pain. <em>"Never mattered before."</em></p><p>Phantom's voice was low and gravelly at the moment, but even then it was still easier to hear and understand than a lot of the other ghosts she'd encountered. She didn't know how Danny expected her to observe and listen to the things when their voices seemed to have this scratchy built-in reverb.</p><p>"Did it hurt?" She asked thoughtlessly. Probably, if she had to guess, but she wanted to hear him confirm it.</p><p><em>"What do you want?"</em> He said antsily, avoiding the question.</p><p>She got that spooky, familiar feeling she always got when they exchanged words. She was talking to Phantom, Amity Park's pretend hero. He'd worked with Jack once, but he seemed particularly wary of her.</p><p>She never imagined he'd let her this close.</p><p>Then again she didn't have her gun aimed at him, or even on her. Strangely though, she wasn't scared of Phantom. His presence had never been as imposing as some, not like Plasmius, and even if it was pretend, he <em> did </em> help people. Save them, even. </p><p>Phantom had talked to Danny and his friends, so maybe the ghost was fond of them? If ghosts could feel fondness? </p><p>Would he… maybe help them save Danny?</p><p>She'd gotten this far, so she may as well try her luck. "I… I need your help."</p><p>Phantom frowned, pressing his lips together before slowly rising until the rest of him was above ground. He looked up warily.</p><p>
  <em> "With what?" </em>
</p><p>Maddie blinked. The ghost boy sounded… willing. She hurried to address the matter at hand before he changed his mind.</p><p>Finding Danny.</p><p>"My son, Danny… he's missing. Plasmius has him, I know it. He's done something with him, he just said so." She moved closer, now less than a foot away. "You fight him. You can make Plasmius tell us what he wants with Danny, with our family."</p><p>Phantom's dark brows were nearly completely obscured by his white hair as they rose up his forehead. By the end he laughed, clutching his side again when the movement pained him.</p><p><em>"Did it look like I won that last fight to you?"</em> He saw her eyes shift to his neck and he brought his hand up like it would hide away what she'd already seen.</p><p>"Why did he… do that?" For the second time she saw a ghost blush, this time a bright neon green. He looked uncomfortable, eyes shifting to the floor. </p><p>
  <em>"Let's just dub that some good old fashioned sadism and call it a day, sound alright?"</em>
</p><p>The grimace at the end told her she probably wouldn't be hearing any more on that subject. He was probably ashamed of losing to Plasmius so badly with an audience of ghost hunters watching.</p><p>Maddie pounded her fist into her other palm, her lips in a hard line, making her look intimidating when the reflection of his glowing eyes flashed in her goggles.</p><p>Her tone was unwavering as she spoke, determined. "We can get him back for it. I don't normally work with ghosts, but I'll do anything for my son." </p><p>Phantom looked back up at her, surprise clear on his face. He wasn't laughing at her, so that was a good sign. "We gotta stop him- team up! Together we-"</p><p>"Look, Plasmius was just toying with you. He doesn't have your son, nor is he after him." She flinched back at his interruption, her mouth snapping shut. His eerie voice was hard with exasperation and probable exhaustion. Perhaps Phantom still scared her more than she'd have liked to admit.</p><p>He heaved a great sigh at her frightened frown, looking apologetic. "Danny is fine, and he's not missing. He's at your house, I had him hide until I told him the coast was clear." He lied, but just to be sure he was covered if they'd already checked.</p><p>He was glad he had.</p><p>Maddie shook her head furiously. "I was there! I saw Plasmius and-"</p><p>"Go home. He'll be there when you go back, I can promise you that." He said softly. She closed her mouth again, eyeing him some more. Something about him...</p><p>He still looked so much more solid than the other ghosts, especially up close. She knew the stronger ones could make themselves corporeal, but this was different. He looked… way more alive. Aside from the green of his ectoplasm, and the accelerated healing, his wounds looked very much like any other person's. </p><p>Phantom leans away when she creeps forward again, curiously reaching out, lips parted in wonder like he was a rare specimen, and to her he was.</p><p>She touched him, fingertips briefly gliding over the exposed skin where his suit and body had yet to mend themselves. </p><p>His skin was cold, but it was skin. She jerked her hand back when she realized this, just as he yanked his arm back and shifted away from her. She looked up to his face but he was already turned in the opposite direction, flying into the ceiling.</p><p>"Wait!" She shouted again. It didn't work a second time.</p><p>Maddie sat on the ground, staring at her hand for several minutes, eventually removing her hood and goggles to scratch her head and try to make sense of what was going on, of what had just happened. She looked at the small glowing puddles of pink and green when Phantom had bled, where Plasmius had bled.</p><p>
  <em> 'Bled'. </em>
</p><p>Ghosts didn't bleed, not blood at least. </p><p>She collected another sample of Plasmius' ectoplasm. With the one she got from Danny's bed they'd created a smaller shield for the lab that could be calibrated to a particular ectosignature, just to be ready for Plasmius if he came for Danny, or any of them. With another sample they might be able to expand the coverage, like a second backup shield for the house, just for Plasmius.</p><p>She wanted that ghost to fry.</p><p>When she secured the samples she pulled out her phone to call Jack. She needed to tell him what Phantom had said, that Danny should be home, and that they needed to get there. She also needed to make sure he was okay after going off alone after Plasmius. The phone buzzed in her hand just as she pulled up his name, his short text message appearing at the top of the screen.</p><p>
  <em> Lost Plasmius. Regroup at FW. Need to talk. </em>
</p><p>Damn.</p><p>She shook her head, but she wasn't surprised. Jack was a good ghost hunter, but Plasmius was one slippery son of a bitch. </p><p>That last part of the text, though, that had been unsettling.</p><p>Maddie hurried home, still unconsciously searching for Danny along the way. Why should she trust Phantom?</p><p>What if she got home and Danny really wasn't there?</p><p>She tried not to think like that. Phantom had looked very… sincere.</p><p>The more she thought about it the sooner she wanted to get back to Fenton Works. The door was still locked when she got there, so she'd beaten Jack home. She grabbed their spare key hidden atop the door frame and stumbled inside in her haste.</p><p>"Danny? <em> Danny? </em> Are you here?" It came out in a rush, almost hysterical sounding. She heard something thump from the floor above and she charged up the stairs, nearly running straight into her son in the hall.</p><p>She grabbed his shoulders, "Danny! Where have you been?!" It was hard to keep her voice even, and she probably wasn't doing it very well if Danny's concerned frown was anything to go by.</p><p>"Here!" He said quickly, before she could start shaking him or something. "I've been here the whole time."</p><p>"That's not possible! I jus-"</p><p>She paused and looked him over, pulling her hands back when cold water dripped from his sopping hair onto the teal gloves of her jumpsuit. The thick towel around his neck was doing little to soak it up. He was in his winter pajamas too, now that she looked at him. </p><p>He really <em> had </em> been here.</p><p>Maddie took a step back, trying to reel it in. She pursed her lips, sending him a slightly confused look. "You didn't hear us looking for you earlier?"</p><p>She thought she saw the slightest panic flash across his face, but it was so fleeting that she might have imagined it. He gave her a shrug.</p><p>"Phantom showed up... He made me hide until he came back with a code word, since Plasmius can mimic voices." Her eyes fell shut as her brows rose up. </p><p>"He can what?" Whoops… Danny really hoped that wasn't a secret. His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know that?"</p><p>"Phantom told me!" Danny was sure that this was going to totally fuck him in the end, he could already feel it happening.</p><p>"So he came back here? And told you it was safe?" Had she just missed him? He did fly off pretty fast... She folded her arms and squinted at her son, frowning when he unconsciously leaned away from her. "Do you… talk with him often, Danny?"</p><p>"No!" He blurted immediately. "Just if a ghost shows up, I guess. Was he there?" He watched his mom as she seemed to bite her tongue. </p><p>"Sort of. Yes and no." The vagueness and secrecy with which his mother spoke made the air feel uncomfortably thick. Since when did his parents have secrets anymore? Why wouldn't she say anything about their interaction a few minutes ago? About Phantom?</p><p>His mother's stare felt piercing. </p><p>They both stood there a moment, and as Maddie looked at her son she could feel something clawing at the walls of her mind but she couldn't place what was making her feel so crazy. </p><p>Was she being crazy?</p><p>It was at that moment that the door slammed open downstairs, bouncing loudly off the wall and nearly swinging back shut in Jack's face. They both ran down to meet him, Maddie looking him over for any injuries, when he grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She squeaked in surprise, Danny doing the same when the other arm looped around him.</p><p>Though the sound <em> he </em> made was a bit more terrified than surprised.</p><p>Just a hug. It was just a hug.</p><p>His Dad released them, his hand still gripping Danny as he tried to shuffle further away. "Danno, you're okay!" </p><p>Danny blinked, "Uh, yeah? I was just telling mom that…" </p><p>Jack rubbed the back of his head, seeming somewhat bashful at the relief in his voice. "It's just, at first Plasmius said…" Jack trailed off, eyes slowly falling. </p><p>Without another word Jack went to the basement, his wife and son staring after him.</p><p>What the hell?</p><p>Part of Danny was hoping that this was the end of it, that his parents realized he's safe and home and everything was fine, but then his dad came back with some wild gadget, what looked like a scanner with pointed probes.</p><p>Before he could even make his voice work long enough to ask what his dad intended to do with <em> that,</em> a small bolt of tellingly green electricity flickered between the probes as it powered on, then Jack took a step toward him.</p><p>"Come here, Danny, I want to check some levels real quick." </p><p>His head whipped back to his mother, for some reason, as though she might save him from this. He wasn't sure where he got that idea, since she wouldn't have seen the harm in the use of such a device on a human, and would therefore see no need to come to his rescue. She seemed just as interested in the results too, and he slowly started inching backwards towards the stairs as they closed in. </p><p>"W-why? My levels are fine, really. Normal." That was probably completely false, but they didn't know that. They hadn't tested his 'ectolevels' in years, since he'd skillfully avoided them if it came up in conversation, and with their weird attitudes and everything going on lately he didn't trust the sudden interest again.</p><p>They were getting too close. To his secret, to him physically. </p><p>He backed away until his heel met the bottom step, nearly tripping him. They continued to close in, prongs lighting up with crackling ecto-electricity.</p><p>"Just a test, I just want to check something-"</p><p>Danny slapped the scanner out of Jack's hand and lept up four steps in one stride, easily outmaneuvering both of his parents when they reached for them. Something about that set him off, igniting a deep terror that he didn't know he was holding in his chest. Their grabbing hands was the stuff of nightmares, or at least his nightmares, and his voice may have been a bit louder than he would have liked when he again refused.</p><p>"No! I'm <em> not </em> one of your experiments! I'm eighteen anyway, you can't make me do that stuff!" He sounded shaky and loud, not nearly as confident or firm as he wanted to sound. He was sure they were weirded out by the intensity of his reaction, but it wasn't something he could have controlled right then. He bolted the rest of the way up to his room, pressing his back to the door and allowing the tremor to wrack his body when he didn't hear them follow.</p><p>They probably hadn't meant anything by it but they'd never grabbed after him like that before, like they wanted to tie him down and make sure he couldn't escape, at least not as Danny Fenton.</p><p>He made sure his door was locked, dragging his feet over to his bed to collapse there. </p><p>He'd barely showered all the grime and ectoplasm off his skin when his mom started shouting for him downstairs. He'd halfass dried off so he could run out and meet her, and he had yet to take a breath or rest since that whole shitshow. His ribs, and the rest of him, still ached from his and Vlad's sparring match-turned-game-turned-beatdown. Then there was the miserable pangs of pain that pulsed in his core, a hungry, desperate feeling that had him wishing he could just knock out.</p><p>His body sank into the bed, feeling heavy and sore, but while his body begged for sleep, his mind would allow for no such thing.</p><p>Every time he felt himself dozing he would hear his parents come up the stairs or walk past his door and he'd jolt awake, waiting and ready should they try to sneak in, but they were never there. He would have tried to take his mind off of things, maybe leave some more flaggable commentary on Dash's little fanpage, but between the physical ache, the mental strain, and the miserable palpitating of his core he found himself unable to form much of a coherent thought, his very being feeling drained and empty. It felt like everything was swirling around in his head without any rhyme or reason, so he didn't know what to think about everything happening to him, much less what kind of action this situation called for. </p><p>Danny closed his eyes, counting silently and doing his breathing exercises until the storm in his head gradually began to die down. He could break this down, just figure out the big parts, maybe something more positive first? He remembered the short conversation he had as Phantom with 'Ghost Hunter Maddie Fenton'. </p><p>She wasn't his mom when he was Phantom. </p><p>But she was still there for him as Danny, and she'd even heeded his advice about watching and listening to understand ghosts, even if that did end up biting him in the ass. He didn't even want to <em> think </em> about what she saw. Did he make any embarrassing sounds? God he couldn't remember…</p><p>Regardless, even after seeing that she'd still tried talking with him, a whole ghost, at least in her eyes, and she'd even suggested teaming up. It was only to 'find' his human self and kick Plasmius' ass, but that was a huge step up from the usual 'I would vivisect him if given the chance'.</p><p>And boy had she had one hell of a chance.</p><p>His anger at Vlad flared again and he clenched his eyes shut even tighter. Why hadn't just <em> listened </em>?</p><p>Sure, it could be blamed on getting lost in the game or whatever, but he'd said stop, and he'd said it with <em> feeling.</em> Vlad hadn't even relented when he had tried to unleash one of his most powerful attacks, something he only did dire situations.</p><p>Asshole.</p><p>He must have dozed off at some point in his delirious musings, and his angry thoughts carried over into dreamland, but they were wonderfully mistranslated. Instead of dreaming about beating the shit out of Vlad, like his waking self had wanted to do, he dreamed of possibly exercising his aggression in other ways.</p><p>Vlad was shirtless, on his knees begging for Danny's mercy, which was what gave it away as a dream. Vlad wouldn't beg for water in the desert, but damn did that pleading look suit him.</p><p>His hands reached out to touch and explore, but just when it was getting good he jerked awake yet again, painfully hard and more than a little irritated by the interruption. This time when he woke it was dark outside, deep into the night with the streetlamps being the only light to shine through his window, into his equally dark room. Right as he sat up to figure out what stole his sleep away he saw ghost mist falling from his lips, accompanied by that tell-tale shiver, and he almost cried right then and there, far too exhausted to deal with any ghost's shit right now.</p><p>"Daniel…" he almost screamed, nearly falling off the bed if it weren't for Vlad's invisible hand grabbing hold of his sleep shirt.</p><p>His heart rate steadied as he was carefully pulled back and he glared in the direction from which he heard that unmistakable voice. </p><p>His idiot boyfriend, Plasmius.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HHHHHHH what do you think? Tell me your hopes and dreams, or even better, tell me your fears and nightmares &gt;:]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. The Tapes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Vlad is a simp and comes to face the music.</p><p>Jack tries to make sense of what Plasmius' plans are with his best friend, more importantly, his son.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Damn it's been like a whole month. Whoop.<br/>That's pretty much how long these badbois take if I want them long and refined. Here ya go.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p><p> </p><p>"What do you want, Plasmius?" His eyes were glowing a virulent green, lighting up the room around them as they searched for the unseen object of his ire.<br/><br/>Vlad would have teased the boy about using his 'scary eyes' but he could feel how unhappy Daniel was with him at the moment and he wasn't looking to make it worse. He relinquished his hold on the boy's shirt when it was jerked away with a sound akin to a growl, Danny pulling his blankets up over his lap defensively. Suspiciously. </p><p>When Danny remembered how angry he was at Vlad he found it easy to distract himself from the effect his dream was having on his body, but it was still sort of embarrassing to wake up with a hard on in front of someone, even if he was currently seeing that person… but couldn't actually <em> see </em> them. He had a good sense of where Vlad was based off of his core reaction alone, so he focused on his fury and let his eyes unleash their scorned wrath in that general direction. </p><p>The glare was cold and fierce despite the pink dusting his cheeks, a scowl Vlad might have delighted in seeing on Daniel were it directed at anyone but him.<br/><br/>He was glad he'd kept up his invisibility, the stricken look on his own face remaining unseen as he shrunk away from that hateful gaze. He brought his hands up to rest in his  lap, unsure of what else to do with them right then but knowing that he'd be expected to maintain a polite distance after their game ended so poorly. </p><p>Now touching Daniel that freely felt even stranger than before, like he was breaking a rule or like he'd lost a privilege. More guilty feelings to wallow in.</p><p>As if he hadn't done enough of that all evening.</p><p>After giving Jack the runaround he'd gone home and paced for hours, biding his time until he could come here and make sure Daniel was alright. He could think of nothing else, his mind consumed with the possibilities, and not even drinking could save him from his brain bombarding him with questions. </p><p>Did Daniel get home alright? Was his secret safe? Was <em> he </em> safe? What if the Fentons do something drastic like amplify the shield or harness that mysterious energy through some other weaponized means? They were dangerous enough all on their own, but with their already supposedly odd behavior they could prove to be twice as unpredictable, twice as deadly, and the little run-in the four of them just had couldn't have helped matters. Fear made people do crazy things. </p><p>And the Fentons were already crazy.</p><p>He underestimated them. </p><p>They were supposed to be on the other side of town, he hadn't expected them to defeat his minions so quickly. Useless imbeciles, all of them. </p><p>And he'd already paid Skulker too…</p><p>This was his fault. He miscalculated. There was no way of knowing what they heard or all of what they saw, but they'd seen more than enough for Vlad's taste, and he didn't think he would be able to look Maddie in the eye ever again. He'd <em> kissed </em> her son's <em> neck </em> right in front of her, and even if she didn't know who they really were, <em> they </em> knew. He could only imagine how Daniel felt- but then he didn't have to imagine. </p><p>He could feel it now. Daniel was positively furious with him, and rightfully so. He deserved it. He'd sensed the fear and humiliation pulse from Danny's core, the frantic cries muffled under the weight of his hand. It had excited him, the boy struggling underneath him, still fighting even when Vlad clearly won, but in his head that had all been part of it- the fight, the game. </p><p>And then Daniel went and made that heartbreaking sound, a heavy, desperate sob that wracked Vlad's own chest and suddenly his fire went cold. The immediate regret he felt when he realized that this was <em> not </em> in fact part of their game wasn't something that he could blame on Danny's guilty tendencies this time. He wanted to fall off the face of the earth when he thought about how insane his actions must have looked from the Fentons' point of view, but even worse than that was how Daniel himself had likely interpreted those actions.</p><p>Perhaps he thought Vlad wanted to hurt him now? Or that he'd been playing him like in the beginning. </p><p>Vlad ached. He was sure he'd made up Danny's mind about this boyfriend idea now, and part of him was a little more than mortified that he was about to be dumped by a highschooler. </p><p>But he understood.</p><p>He himself had become fraught with second thoughts the longer he'd been left to his own devices, even beginning to have mixed feelings about how far they'd come in such a short time, how far they'd <em> gone, </em>on his living room couch of all places, and then there was everything he'd <em> said </em> to Danny. He'd shared so many private thoughts and musings he would have never shared with anyone else, even more little secrets for Danny alone to lord over him, if he so chose. </p><p>What was he thinking? That he'd really changed? Some people were just bad by nature, and it was becoming quite clear that he was one of those individuals. </p><p>Not that it mattered at this point. It wasn't like letting himself obsess over all of this would change the outcome anyway. He'd ruined it. The relationship had been less like a flame and more like a time bomb, one with a regrettably short fuse and a painfully explosive end that was soon to come. What was done was done.</p><p>He only hoped they wouldn't be enemies again when it was over.</p><p>Vlad slowly became visible, his glow dull like Danny's had been after being fed upon in his already lacking state. He was still utterly exhausted despite whatever sleep he'd just gotten in, and his human form felt no more alive than his ghost form.</p><p>His core felt so <em> empty</em>. Starving. He didn't know if he could even transform if he tried.</p><p>Danny wasn’t sure if it was just the hunger talking, but suddenly every arrow was pointing to Vlad being the root of all of his problems as of late.</p><p>He noticed the older halfa's subdued demeanor right away, but said nothing about the pathetic little pout or his sulking posture, not even his dimmed luminescence. Vlad <em> should </em> feel bad. It was <em> his </em> fault that Danny felt like this, and his fault that they were in this huge mess.</p><p>His voice was low so as not to wake anyone in the house. "You have balls of steel coming here so soon after that bullshit. What in the fuck did you say to my dad today? He tried to electro-vibe-check me by force when he got home!"</p><p>Vlad's voice was even quieter than Danny's. "I don't know what that means, Daniel, but I'm going to assume he tried to check you for ecto-contamination, as I may have told him I'd essentially poisoned you. I said a great many nasty things, whatever kept him following me, away from you." </p><p>Danny’s eyes widened and flashed blue in utter disbelief before returning to their acidic glow, floored by how casual Vlad sounded.</p><p>"Poisoned." He repeated dubiously, "Gee thanks." He snorted at how the asshole sounded like he'd provided a service of some kind. “You’re lucky they haven’t set up Plasmius-seeking-missiles in the house yet.”<br/><br/>Vlad’s eyes rolled, “As if those idiots-” He stopped and cleared his throat when Danny’s eyes hardened. “Daniel…”</p><p>“Look, Vlad, I don't want to hear your excuses, nor do I want to argue in the middle of the night.I have nothing to say to you right now." </p><p>Vlad cringed back. "I didn't come for that, I came to-" Danny's brows shot up, then down into a fierce glare as he cut Vlad off with a harsh whisper.</p><p>"You didn't come for what? To defend yourself? Say your piece? Are you not even sorry?" </p><p>Vlad rolled his eyes before sending Danny a glare that looked much more at home on his face than that sad frown had. Didn't Daniel <em> just </em> say he didn't want to hear it?</p><p>"Oh, so you <em> do </em> want to entertain my pointless excuses now? Which is it, Daniel?" He sassed flatly, then he seemed to remember himself when he saw Danny's face, far from amused with the attitude. His haughtiness quickly left him and he looked back to his lap with a resigned sigh. </p><p>"I came so you could feed, and-" <em> break up with me. </em> That sounded pathetic. He couldn't finish that sentence, but Daniel was still waiting for him to.</p><p>Vlad swallowed before speaking again. "But I… I <em> am </em> sorry, Little Badger. For ignoring you, and your warning. For getting carried away. I…" He stopped again, talking himself into another trap. Vlad didn't want to tell him that he simply hadn't been present in that moment, that would be admitting a lack of control.</p><p>Most of the time it was very deliberate when he hurt Daniel, so these accidental misunderstandings they kept having seemed rather unfair, especially with the timing, and he was quite angry with the universe for it. He finally finds someone who cares about him in the younger halfa, someone who <em> wants </em> him, and somehow he still ruins it almost effortlessly. He wasn't even trying to mess things up but it was all falling apart before it even started.</p><p>He really should be used to it by now, as the world had never been particularly fair to him over the years, but he still felt… loss. Grief.</p><p>He was already attached. He didn't want to lose what was growing between them. </p><p>Dying between them.</p><p>Why was he so bad at this?</p><p>Daniel still hadn't said anything after he trailed off, and Vlad was somewhat afraid to look up at him, unsure if he'd be able to handle the expression he'd find there. The rejection. </p><p>He knew he couldn't just avoid looking Danny in the eye, and he'd already come all the way here, so he slowly lifted his eyes. </p><p>They were naturally drawn to the skin exposed by Daniel's half unbuttoned sleep shirt. Even in the dim light of their glowing orbs he could see the remnants of a slow-to-heal mark from where he'd bitten the younger ghost. That wasn't good.</p><p>Healing was something of a baseline ability for them, something passive that they didn't have to consciously call forth. Being depleted of the energy to perform such a task meant Danny was in particularly bad shape, which further explained the foul mood. He needed to 'go ghost', if not to accelerate healing then at least to feed and replenish his core reserves, which would also help greatly in mending his body. They still healed way faster than the average person when they were in human form, but recovery was <em> much </em>swifter as a ghost. Danny probably turned human as soon as he got home, which was not enough time in his spectral form to recover from their battle and lack of ectoplasm.</p><p>And here Danny was wasting energy so his living form could have scary eyes.</p><p>Vlad swallowed, his mouth feeling too dry for him to speak at first. Why was he nervous? "You should transform so you can heal. You need ectoplasm."</p><p>"Yeah no shit, asshat, you drained me dry and left me paralyzed in front of a ghost hunter! My mom! You even tried to neck me in front of her dude!" He spat each word in an angry whisper. Danny's eyes squeezed shut in humiliated anguish.</p><p>"Ugh, dad saw too…"</p><p>Vlad’s eyes immediately fell again, his cheeks absolutely <em> burning </em> for the both of them. <em> God. </em></p><p>There was a slightly uncomfortable silence before a flash of white light drew his attention back to Danny. Now as Phantom, his cold glare looked twice as hateful as his core suddenly pulsed in agony at his change. Vlad moved without thinking when he heard the pained hiss that escaped him, reaching out only to have his hand slapped away before it could make contact.</p><p>He didn't know what to do after that. "Daniel, I truly am sorry-" Danny scoffed.</p><p>"Oh please…" he muttered before Vlad could finish, so quiet and bitter sounding. </p><p>Vlad frowned, unused to the strange indignation he was feeling. It stung quite a bit to have his sincerity dismissed, especially when that was something he so rarely practiced with anyone else. It was frustrating.</p><p>Justified? One could say that. He'd given Daniel plenty of reasons to doubt him over the years, but it was still no less grating.</p><p>He grabbed Danny's hand, not letting go this time, even when Danny tried to phase free. Vlad pulled him forward, pressing the hand over his core. "Can't you feel how serious I am right now Daniel?"</p><p>He was almost <em> sure </em> that Danny could read his core too, he'd even calmed Vlad's after his last visit to Fenton Works, but it seemed to be more of a question as to whether or not he was aware of the ability yet. Maybe the lack of ectoplasmic energy dampened the connection, like his other core abilities, or perhaps he was simply too angry with Vlad to care about what feelings his core conveyed.</p><p>But Vlad felt an insatiable need to prove himself. He phased the hand through until he could feel it <em> almost </em> touching his core, both halfas slightly awestruck as they stared at where Danny's wrist plunged into Vlad's chest.</p><p>For a moment Danny completely forgot his anger, because he <em> did </em> feel how sincere Vlad was. It was like the connection between their cores amplified tenfold, all of his raw power now tangible, all of the older man laid bare to Danny. It was indescribable.</p><p>And terrifyingly familiar.</p><p>His fingertips grazed the molten heat swirling there and he suddenly felt like he was being pulled in. It wasn't exactly forceful, but it was enough to remind Danny of that dream, the one where Vlad became Dan and tried to fuse them together to 'ensure their future'. It was the same pull, just like how it felt right before it began to hurt beyond all measure. </p><p>Danny jerked back with a sharp gasp before it could get that far, moving off the bed entirely to stand far from Vlad with his back against the wall, holding his hand close to his chest. He half expected it to look burned or something, but it was perfectly fine, if not shaking. He squeezed it with his other hand and stared at the older halfa with wide eyes.</p><p>Vlad stared back, unsure of what to think of Danny's reaction. Was this the rejection part that he'd been anticipating? It was hard to tell, Danny looked more overwhelmed than disdainful now. Perhaps it was, as Daniel would say, 'a lot'. Too much at once. </p><p>He was always too much, and yet somehow never enough. Not when it mattered.</p><p>Vlad pulled himself from the wells of his self pity and focused on the present, on the boy in front of him. He followed Danny off the bed and cautiously stepped toward him, his arms moving to reach out. </p><p>"Daniel…" he said softly, nearly whispering. </p><p>"Don't!" </p><p>Vlad froze, almost too quickly, so much so that Danny feared for a moment that he'd accidentally tapped into his ghostly whisper or something.</p><p>But he hadn't. </p><p>"Get back." His voice was a low rumble now, slowly gaining confidence since, now that he thought about it, he technically had the upper hand in this situation. If he didn't feel like resorting to mind control then he could always scream for his parents. Sure, it would probably suck for him in the end too, but it would be significantly worse for Vlad.</p><p>It didn't look like that would have to happen though. Vlad promptly took a step back, raising his hands slightly to show he truly meant no harm. He looked at Danny hopefully, as if to say, <em> "See? I can follow directions." </em></p><p>Danny knew the man was well and able, he just hadn't thought Vlad would ever follow someone <em> else's </em>directions. But right now Vlad seemed almost… eager to please.</p><p>He smirked, feeling a little cocky now. "Back up on the bed." </p><p>Vlad looked up at him strangely but surprisingly did as he was told, sitting on the edge of the bed with an uncharacteristically passive expression. Danny was a little thrown off by the ghost's compliance, narrowing his eyes suspiciously in a way that darkened his smirk quite a bit. He didn't think Vlad was the type to yield like this, so easily.</p><p>He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "So you're going to listen to me?"</p><p>Vlad pressed his lips together, hesitant to answer. He didn't think Danny wanted him to 'listen', it felt more like Danny wanted him to obey. If Vlad were to look deeper then perhaps what he was asking for was respect, and trust, in his judgement and in him. An eighteen year old.</p><p>"Why <em> should </em> I listen to you?" He couldn't help but ask, rather testily too, despite his current position. Then he sort of winced, thinking better of his question.<br/><br/>Admittedly, listening to Danny might have saved them from that painfully awkward interaction with the Fentons… </p><p>Danny obviously agreed. "<em>Why? </em> Because you're always doing the wrong thing, dude!" His voice was a harsh whisper that broke a bit at the end, but he sharpened his glare. "They wouldn't have seen anything if you had stopped when I said so and just… listened to me…"</p><p>There was something in that look, the dark stare they shared where they both knew they were thinking the same thing. Danny could have <em> made </em> him listen. Danny wanted to, even now.</p><p>Vlad felt himself begin to pool energy into his core, unconsciously preparing for a fight should Daniel decide to impose his will upon him. </p><p>Would giving that to him voluntarily make Danny believe in his apology? Would that help him understand the genuine remorse he felt? Vlad clasped his hands together and released a pensive sigh before squaring his shoulders and meeting the other halfa’s gaze.</p><p>"I'm listening, Little Badger." </p><p>Danny looked him over skeptically for a few seconds before uncrossing his arms and striding forward. Vlad's eyes followed his every move, not resisting when Danny slowly raised a hand to wrap around his throat, watching Vlad's face for a reaction, testing him. </p><p>"<em>Now </em> you want to listen to me? I told you I have nothing to say.” Vlad was silent, so Danny pressed down harder.</p><p>He felt an odd vibration from his core when he did this, quite unlike the painful ones he'd been experiencing in his hunger all day. It was more like that purring sensation, a strange delight from deep within his being. It was dark and rich, intoxicating like when he'd used his whispers to make Vlad kiss him. </p><p>His ghost form was so hot to the touch, but not unbearably so, not enough for Danny to want to remove his fingers from Vlad's neck. </p><p>No wonder Vlad choke-slammed him all the time. This felt good. It felt right.</p><p>He shook his head. That <em> thought </em> didn't feel right, but it was difficult to not lean into it. He couldn't tell if it was just residual horniness or anger, or maybe something else entirely, but it was a very heady feeling. Dark and rich, foreboding.</p><p>But he liked it.</p><p>He wasn't even aware that he'd been steadily increasing pressure, forcing Vlad to choose- either lay back on the bed or resist him and choke. The older halfa ended up having to prop himself up on his elbows to stay somewhat upright, because as sorry as he was, there would be no such laying on his back, even for Danny. Definitely not.</p><p>Despite his pride, his helpful mind recalls quite a few times Danny's put him on his back, if not on his ass. There was also, of course, the fact that he deserved whatever Danny saw fit to dish out and more, so pride really wasn't something he was all that entitled to anyway. </p><p>Besides Daniel did look quite stunning from this angle, and he <em> was </em> sorry...</p><p>Rather stealthily, Danny's knee had made its way up onto the bed at some point when he was pushing the older halfa down, and it strategically nestled itself between his thighs so he could loom over Vlad, who made no moves to fight him off. The older ghost simply allowed himself to be subdued, still unsure of how far he should allow this to go, whatever it was. </p><p>At first he’d handed over the reins because he wanted to express transparency, his remorse, his desire to assure Danny that he meant him no harm, but then... he began to react <em> differently </em> to Daniel's aggression. Along with his confusion at Daniel’s behavior came a passivity he hadn’t thought himself capable of, and an almost perverse intrigue at the prospects. It perplexed him greatly, and he felt stuck for a moment, trying to figure out when this situation started to become sexual for him. Now he was just letting this happen because he didn't know what else to <em> do.</em> </p><p>There was a small war waging in his head, one side telling him to stop this at once, being humble or sorry was bogus and it wasn't worth it. The other side was happy to oblige to Danny's every request, and that scared him a bit, and concerned him greatly, so much so that Danny could see him losing himself in his thoughts, and he didn't appreciate the lack of attention.</p><p>The hand around his throat squeezed.<br/><br/>“Come on, Plasmius, where's your fighting spirit? You're just gonna let me do whatever?" He was mostly teasing, but Vlad made no sounds of protest. He only looked up at Danny, no resistance, no biting remarks or insults, no wiggling out of his hold and going for a cheap shot- if anything he looked a little stunned, just as thrown off by this change in dynamic as Danny was.</p><p>But he didn't look disinterested. </p><p>Danny wondered what the man was thinking. Being angry at Vlad definitely distracted him, but it did little to make him actually forget about the steamy dream he'd been having, and those memories were starting to come back and give him ideas.</p><p>Maybe the dream hadn't been as far fetched as he thought. Vlad could simply be on his best behavior because he knew he was in trouble, but he was playing this role a little too well for it to be an act, like someone who might be surprisingly good at taking orders given the right circumstances. Then there was the way Vlad was just staring up at him, treading uncharted waters right along with him. </p><p>Vlad choked out a whisper, or tried to, and Danny let up a bit, "... If it makes up for not doing so earlier..."</p><p>Danny gaped down at him, suddenly awake. Had he heard that right? He was sure that was meant to sound much more on the apologetic side but to him it sounded way too suggestive to be an accident.</p><p>Vlad basically just agreed to 'whatever'.</p><p>He laughed again, a humorless chuckle that did little to convey how incredulous he was. He could hardly believe his ears. He didn't believe his ears. He'd have to test Vlad further to see <em> how </em> sorry he was. Surely, as a scientist, Vlad would have to agree with his logic.</p><p>"It probably won't," He breathed. "But we'll see…"</p><p>For a moment the sound of his own voice made him falter. It was a deep pitch, disturbingly not unlike their evil fusion's, but with his own personal cadence. He would have started overthinking it if it weren't for Vlad's reaction, the way his eyes lidded and his face became flushed. </p><p>Danny slid his fingers from Vlad's throat to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling the older man up closer to his face. </p><p>Vlad grabbed his hand, snapping out of his brief stupor. "This doesn't mean you can manhandle me!"</p><p>Danny tugged harder before leaning in to nip at Vlad's neck. "I think it does."</p><p>It wasn't much of a comeback by any of their typical standards, but all the blood had already left his brain by now, so it was the best he could do and Vlad would just have to deal. </p><p>Besides, the bastard was going to put up with it regardless if he wanted to make up for ignoring his pleas and <em> kissing </em> his <em> neck </em> in front of his <em> parents!</em> This was sort of a punishment, an eye for an eye, and Vlad had surrendered to it, to him, otherwise the other halfa would have escaped by now, as he was more than capable.</p><p>With that thought in mind, Danny none too gently sank his teeth into the side of Vlad's neck without warning, grinning around the bite at how the man's body seized up.</p><p>To his credit, the pained grunt that escaped him wasn't terribly loud, but just loud enough so that Danny was confident that Vlad knew how pissed off he was. He shifted between Vlad's legs, sucking what he hoped would be a horrifically dark bruise around the bite, unconsciously seeking those mind numbing sounds Vlad sometimes made that derailed any possibilities of him maintaining a coherent train of thought...</p><p>Though now the only coherent thought he could keep was of the way Vlad's ectoplasm was sliding down his throat, how it warmed his core as he drew gluttonous gulps and bit down harder, reveling in the harsh, uneven breaths Vlad huffed against his neck, likely from the pain.</p><p>And painful it was.</p><p>Vlad wanted to throttle the brat for tearing into him so mercilessly. Danny was not exercising <em> any </em> of his usual tenderness, no venom to dull the sting, no sweet preliminary kisses. His first time feeding hadn't been this painful, and Danny wasn't even fully aware of what was happening at the time. Since then, he'd always seemed to put forth the effort to make the process as painless as possible, and quite… pleasant even. Vlad realized he'd obviously taken that for granted, but even so, Daniel didn't have to maul him like this.</p><p>Though something about this encounter was quite… thrilling. Daniel's power often left him in awe, but this new air of <em> command </em> he seemed to exude was beginning to induce something of a reaction from his core.</p><p>Even worse was that his core wasn't the only facet of his being that found this side of Daniel so captivating. The way he was being held down, even the way Daniel was… hurting him, with the bite and the hand in his hair keeping him still as Danny's fangs sank impossibly deeper.</p><p>He couldn't fathom why he put himself in this position, or why he was letting it go so far, why he didn't really want it to stop anytime soon, despite the underlying fear of Danny draining him dry for revenge. The voice in the back of his head kept reminding him that he deserved it, so perhaps that was why. If not for earlier today then for the years of torment Danny had endured at his hand, and who was he to argue with that little voice's logic?<br/><br/>His resistance fell away as he finally gave in to the paralyzing sensation of being fed from, his slightly labored breaths slowing as his control and awareness continued to fade. His eyes fell shut, leaving him to fixate on the sounds and sensations as he spiraled out of cognizance.</p><p>Danny's entire body tingled as he felt Vlad falling limp in his arms, his core singing sweet relief upon having its reserves replenished. He loosened his grip on Vlad's locks and allowed the man's head to lull back onto the bed as his body relaxed completely, Danny's other hand digging his fingers into Vlad's bicep, something to ground him as he tried to reign himself in. His core thrummed with Vlad’s, and at this point he felt like he was overflowing. He knew if he took too much that a ghost could very well 'die', and while Vlad had supremely crossed yet another line, he didn't want to <em> kill </em> him. He had… very complicated <em> feelings </em> for Vlad.</p><p>And maybe physically hurting him wasn't turning out to be <em> quite </em>as satisfying as he thought it would be either…</p><p>With that thought he eased up, no longer actively pulling energy from Vlad's core but letting his mouth linger over the bite, then finally he pulled away from the neon mess he'd made of the older ghost's neck to admire his work. He quickly returned to running his tongue over the abused skin, pressing his lips to it again and delighting in every shiver or hushed sound each of his kisses elicited.</p><p>Danny sucked the ectoplasm from his teeth as he released his hold on Vlad's hair to card his fingers through it, the man's eyes blearily fluttering open at the soothing sensation. Dim scarlet glowed through his half closed lids as he fought to regain his bearings, instinctively not wanting to be <em> too </em> vulnerable when Danny was like this. He still felt dazed as he lifted his head, too fast, as he was unable to focus his eyes on any one thing with the way his head was spinning. </p><p>Danny pushed him back down when he attempted to sit up, then he held Vlad there so he could straddle his hips, knowing the man wouldn't have the strength to fight him off yet.</p><p>Similar to the vulnerable state he'd been left alone in with his mother.</p><p>"Sucks to be so completely powerless in front of an <em> enemy</em>, doesn't it Plasmius?" Danny smirked, reveling in that power, because he was <em> going </em> to make Vlad see what it had been like, to be so helpless. </p><p>This control was intoxicating, but the toxicity of that feeling didn't go unnoticed. It was like he was watching another version of himself from the sidelines, while still being very much involved in the vision of a man that was laid out below him, utterly subjected to his whim. Only him. Vlad would never let anyone else see him, or hurt him, like this.</p><p>And hurt he was. Danny actually calling himself Vlad's enemy again cut him like a knife, sharp and deep, even more than he thought it would through the haze he was still under. </p><p>It must have shown on his face, or perhaps Danny could feel the pulse of sorrow emanating from his core, because his smirk dropped right as the words left his lips. </p><p>He wasn't sure what he'd expected from the older man after saying that, perhaps a snide comeback or plain old evil laughter, and maybe part of him had hoped for fear- but certainly not anguish. Shame. Vlad's reaction definitely took some of the fun out of Danny's vengeful powertrip.</p><p>But not all of it.</p><p>He wouldn't let Vlad off that easily. </p><p>"Say it again." One last blow to his pride should do it.</p><p>Vlad blinked up at Danny, confused at first. It took him a little too long to process what had just been commanded of him, so when Danny began petting his hair again he flinched, expecting more rough treatment at first. He felt much more disoriented this time around, like waking up from a deep sleep at an odd hour. </p><p>Vlad's eyes finally focused, widening almost imperceptibly upon settling on the younger halfa's… ever changing form.</p><p>The eyes staring back into his were just as green as always, but there was no longer any trace of white to them, only an abysmal black. His usually messy hair moved around his pointed ears like he was under water, with a distinctly flame-like quality that it'd never had before.</p><p>Vlad withheld a gasp when Daniel's forked tongue ran over his fangs, looking particularly keen, as though he might bite again.</p><p>"Say you're sorry. I might forgive you this time." </p><p>Vlad blinked and tried to school his face to hide any reaction to the even ghostlier mien, not wanting to set Danny off like the last time this happened. </p><p>He was usually quite good at maintaining a neutral mask, but Daniel didn't seem to care for that very much. His voice dropped in pitch, the bitter cold in his breath fanning over Vlad's face as he sneered. "You were so apologetic earlier." The hand petting his hair pulled again, justifying his earlier fears. </p><p><em> "I'm sorry!" </em> He whispered harshly through his bared teeth, no longer as ‘intrigued’ by the energy Daniel was giving off all that much. He dropped his gaze as he fumbled with his excuse under the younger ghost's cold stare, his head feeling abnormally empty of thought for once. </p><p>Vlad looked up into those haunting new orbs. "I presumed we... our game-"</p><p>Danny's mouth was on his before he could finish his apology. The kiss was harsh and frustrated, but more than welcome in contrast to the cold shoulder Vlad had feared receiving when he came here. He’d never understand Daniel’s teenage mood swings but the relief that flooded him was beyond words, and he wished he could hurry up and <em> move </em> so he could wrap his arms around the body slowly melting into his. </p><p>Danny's hand was still fisted in his hair, pulling his head to the side to slide his tongue deeper into Vlad's mouth, swallowing up the low groan the action drew from the older ghost.</p><p>He felt incredible, and not just because he currently had Vlad under his thumb. His entire body was thrumming with life, energy, strength- like he could bench a city bus. It was different from last time, but every time they fed it felt different, so he couldn't really tell if it was significant. He probably felt so good because of how miserable he'd been before feeding, beaten to hell and completely ectoplasm deficient. </p><p>Remembering his earlier state reminded him of how mad he'd been at Vlad and he promptly nipped his lower lip, not quite having forgiven him yet, despite accepting his apology.</p><p>It was then that he was pulled from his indulgent play, as it was in that exact moment that Vlad regained command of his body, flipping them and pushing Danny onto his back with a vicious, somehow hushed growl of a sound. </p><p>Vlad fumed, his thoughts chaotic. What was <em> that</em>? He thought he'd had mixed feelings about these relations before, now he didn't know what to think… </p><p>Danny seemed to be having great fun with tormenting him, but he didn't seem to be angry with Vlad anymore, leaving the man to focus all of his concern on his <em> response </em> to said torment, this foreign desire to please someone besides himself.</p><p>He'd agreed to 'listen' to Danny, acknowledge anything he wanted to say or get off his chest about what happened today, but he didn't like how <em> willing </em> he was to relinquish his control to appease the boy. Something about those new eyes, perhaps, the way they glowed from the abyss of black...</p><p>Who would have thought Daniel could look so sinister?</p><p>Who would have thought such a thing would excite him so?</p><p>His face felt hot as he glared down at the annoyingly smug look Danny was giving him. </p><p>"Are you done, you brat? Did you enjoy yourself, getting back at the bad guy?" Vlad wasn't feeling quite as sorry as he did before, not while he had to watch that smarmy grin stretch across the younger man's face. </p><p>"I think we both enjoyed ourselves." Vlad felt Danny's knee slowly sliding up his thigh and shifted away before it could reach its destination. The last thing he needed was Daniel knowing how aroused he was after his little power play. </p><p>How humiliating.</p><p>Then again, it was what he deserved after teasing Daniel in quite the same way, in front of his parents no less. He only prayed that they hadn't heard him refer to himself as 'Scary Vlad' when he was whispering in their son's ear.</p><p>If there was a God he'd spare Vlad at least that much in this life.</p><p>Danny frowned when Vlad moved away from him again, still glaring through a well camouflaged pout.</p><p>"Hey… I didn't mean that earlier… I don't want us to be enemies, I, uh... I lo-" He moved his hand, the one that had been digging its fingers into Vlad's arm, up to Vlad's face but froze before it got there. It felt strangely… warm, wet too, and tingly like his lips. He slowly brought it closer to his face to better inspect it, eyes widening slightly at the sight of luminescent pink coating the ends of his lethal looking fingers. He looked past them to see Vlad's arm bleeding from where his… claws had been digging in, five messy puncture wounds glowing just like his fingertips.</p><p>His fingers… were clawed, like some crazy monster ghost. He could feel it beneath his gloves, that were either rapidly repairing themselves or they were for whatever reason impenetrable by the claws, acting as a barrier between his sharp fingernails and the other halfa he clung to, while somehow not impeding their abuse to Vlad's skin.</p><p>His hand began to subtly shake as dread crept into his chest, then very similar hands wrapped around it, squeezing gently to still the movement. </p><p>"Daniel, everything is okay, you just need to stay calm, and very quiet." Danny's eyes snapped up to Vlad's face, unused to hearing Vlad speak in such a soothing tone. It sounded nice, or it probably would have if he weren't so fixated on the fact that Vlad was only doing it to keep him from freaking out, which meant there was something happening that probably warranted him freaking out, which meant things were very much <em> not </em> okay.</p><p>His chest shuddered as he tried to calm his breathing, which had at some point began to slip into hyperventilation, and Vlad quickly moved close and gathered Danny up in his arms. </p><p>He wasn't sure how else to keep this situation under control, and this was what worked last time. He held Danny tight, the younger ghost's messy hands trapped between them, trembling against him.</p><p>"Hush, Daniel, we can fix it. Focus your energy on-"</p><p>Danny tried to pull out of his hold, his voice growing in both volume and panic. "I don't want to 'fix it'! I want to know why this is happening to me!" </p><p>Vlad quickly shushed him, his hand reaching up to cover his mouth but stopping inches from doing so. That's what just got him into this mess. "<em>Shut up.</em>" He growled, "We'll figure it out, but now isn't exactly the best time for that! Now pull yourself together and change back into your human form."</p><p>Where was this firmness when Daniel had been on top of him? </p><p>"Wait, let me go see-" They both went still and silent at the sound of footsteps on coming up the stairs, then they erupted into rapid fire whispers.</p><p>
  <em> "You didn't make sure they were asleep?!"  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "I didn't float in from their bedroom if that’s what you mean, Daniel, and I definitely didn't come through the lab!" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Shit, why would you even come here in the first place with the shield-" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "Why else would I- We don't have time for this! Change back, and do not 'go ghost' until you can leave this house."  </em>
</p><p>Danny grit his teeth but nodded begrudgingly. Vlad was right. He went from Phantom to Fenton, trying to smother the mounting anxiety he felt over his ghost form, leaning into Vlad's hold when his arms squeezed around him before breaking away, intending to teleport.<br/><br/>Vlad wasn’t sure where they stood, if they were still 'together', or whether or not he was even forgiven, but those were more things they didn’t have time for at the moment, so for his own peace of mind the subject was paused until the more urgent matters were addressed.<br/><br/>Later. Daniel couldn’t afford much more trouble because of him.</p><p>He made to move away but Danny's grip stayed tight around his hand, holding him back. There was so much he needed to talk to Vlad about, so many things he needed to ask and say. </p><p>He was just about to express this when Vlad gave him a sort of 'oh' expression, like he’d just realized what Danny wanted before grabbing his face and pressing their lips together firmly. Danny felt his stomach flip, leaning into it when the other halfa pulled away because it was far too short.<br/><br/>He was a little speechless, like Vlad had jumbled all of his thoughts with that one kiss. <em> Not </em> what he'd been going for but he'd take it, he just hoped Vlad didn't think they were done with this.</p><p>The older halfa seemed to read his mind. "We'll talk more soon, Little Badger. I promise." Danny blinked and then he was gone. Now he was the one left in a stupor, his fingers pressed to his tingling lips.</p><p>Did Vlad Plasmius just make a promise?</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>The Fentons spent a full hour in silence after Danny had locked himself in his room. Jack had been in his head all evening, especially after he'd scared his poor son half to death. When they heard the door slam he'd looked up the stairs towards Danny's room, then back at the gadget in his hand with a hollow chuckle.</p><p>"Probably help if it was a little less terrifying, huh?" He smiled, but his eyes were watery.</p><p>This time when he sulked off to the lab Maddie followed with her head hanging just as low, and while she connected their cameras to their computer she watched him completely disassemble and reconfigure the device, only to get frustrated half way through reassembly. She wrinkled her nose when he set it aside and scrawled <em> 'Reader Ray?? Scanner?' </em> directly onto the tabletop with a permanent marker.</p><p>He seemed to mull it over for a few minutes before coming to a decision and getting back to work. Maddie felt like she zoned out watching him rebuild the ecto-reader, and she didn't realize he'd finished until he rolled his chair over to the monitor to wait for the videos with her, still verbalizing his musings. She let him wrap himself up in his work, quite used to him thinking out loud. It was how he processed things, related to work or otherwise, though she was sure he was just doing it now so that he didn't have to think about the latest blowout they'd just had with their son. </p><p>He brought it over and tinkered with the device some more, showing it to her as he went on about how to configure a scanner to Plasmius' signature, how they could possibly go about getting a read in a non-invasive fashion. The technical matters.</p><p>She usually coped with emotional distress in similar ways, but right now she felt as immobile as Phantom had been, so she just sat there and watched the download's progress. </p><p>At least <em> Jack's </em> process was productive. </p><p>After he ran out of schematics to ramble about his voice died out and, after hooking up the calibrating reader to the Exodus system, he too sat and mindlessly watched the screen, tapping his fingers impatiently as he waited for their videos to download so they could enhance the footage<em> . </em> </p><p>Jack wanted to see everything with fresh eyes, maybe catch something he'd missed while he was running around, wound up by the things Plasmius said.</p><p>He also had a close call with the ghost during their chase where he narrowly avoided getting blasted in the face, but his camera was shot clean off his head at one point(almost like it had been the target from the beginning) so he was anxious to see if any of the recording was damaged or lost. His tapping ceased.</p><p>After a full ten minutes of silence, quite a long time for Jack, he finally spoke again. </p><p>"Mads, has a ghost ever said something, or done something that just… rubbed you the wrong way? Like to the core?" </p><p>The corners of her mouth pulled downward at the rawness to Jack's voice. She hated when Jack sounded like this. Maddie gave him a halfhearted smile, one that had trouble reaching her eyes.  "Uh, yeah honey, they exist." </p><p>It was mostly a joke, an attempt to lighten him up a bit, but when he didn't laugh or shout 'Good one!' she became even more concerned.</p><p>"I mean like, familiar." He clarified humorlessly. That serious expression almost looked out of place on his face as he spoke. "Something that strikes a chord, but you don't know why."</p><p>After a while she gave him a hesitant nod.</p><p>Of course. Phantom did it more often than any other ghost she'd interacted with. She'd always figured that, subconsciously, part of his allure to her was that he appeared quite similar to her son. Through the glow she'd catch a cheeky smile, and he'd say or do something <em> just </em> like Danny, and her blood would boil. For a very short, very self-centered while, she thought he'd somehow been doing this on purpose to get to <em> her</em>, play on her maternal instincts.</p><p>The worst part was that sometimes it worked, sometimes it <em> did </em> throw her off, but now it was mostly just creepy.</p><p>Jack had shared her feelings to a degree, but now she felt like he was really experiencing that haunting familiarity like she did, like deja vu, but not, only for him it was with Plasmius. </p><p>An exaggerated sigh brought her back to watching Jack, who wearily returned his eyes to the screen, the loading bar still stuck at forty percent. He looked so tense. She wondered what his camera picked up…</p><p>"What happened, Jack?" </p><p>He shook his head, bringing his hand to his chin as he sorted his thoughts for a moment before voicing them. "I don't know, Plasmius just… it wasn't necessarily the things he said, but the way he said them? Well, it was also the things he said... It just…" Jack trailed off again, eyes flashing up at the screen when the loading bar jumped to fifty-five percent, now matching Maddie's. </p><p>He couldn't really put his finger on it, but something about Plasmius was so disturbingly familiar sometimes. He almost wanted to say it was like seeing a ghost, and he internally chuckled at his own joke, since Plasmius <em> was </em> in fact a ghost, but he didn't know how else to describe the emotions said ghost always seemed to trigger in him.</p><p>Haunting. It seemed redundant. Of course Plasmius was haunting.</p><p>"It just felt so <em> pointed</em>." He said instead.</p><p>After some thought Maddie agreed with a small hum. "Out of the three of us he <em> does </em> seem to single you out a lot…" </p><p>Jack frowned. "The three of us?"</p><p>"You, me, and of course Vlad. Did Plasmius mention him? What did he say?"</p><p>"Oh, all sorts of things, mostly about Danny, but I think he was just messing with me. Who knows what was true and what wasn't?" Some of the things he said didn't even make sense, like Jack was missing something <em> big,</em> and the more he thought about it the more it frustrated him. </p><p>Which was probably what Plasmius had been going for.</p><p>He replayed the chase in his head, every word exchanged, every taunt. Plasmius knew just what to say to get under his skin. He poked at long-buried insecurities and weaknesses, things no one knew about, and Jack had no idea how the ghost had so much dirt on him and his family, his best friend. </p><p>But the worst was hearing Plasmius talk about his son.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <em> "This is quite possibly the worst ghost hunting I've ever seen! Don't you want your boy back alive?" <br/><br/></em>
</p><p>He wasn't sure where the ghost was leading them but he had no choice, he had to follow.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <em> "Are you going to catch me in time to save him? He's probably taking his last breaths right about now."<br/><br/></em>
</p><p>Jack grit his teeth, firing several shots but missing each one. He ran harder as Plasmius flew further away.<br/><br/></p><p>
  <em> "He really is a fighter, the human body doesn't normally survive all that long with ectoplasm flowing through its veins. Like a poison."  </em>
</p><p>Plasmius swooped down, surprising him by appearing right in front of his face. <em> "Then again, he was already rather contaminated when I got to him, thanks to you, no doubt." </em></p><p>Most of the time Jack hadn't said anything back to the ghost, partly out of spite, the other part being him simply trying to keep up and not lose him. That last little comment, though, that made him stop in the middle of the street, right there in front of a ghost.</p><p>He remained stunned just long enough for Plasmius to teleport away before Jack could react to his nearness.</p><p>Ever since he and Maddie found out about the possession they had been thinking that Plasmius was the one responsible for their gadgets reacting to Danny all this time, but the way the ghost talked… </p><p>Was Danny really contaminated before that?</p><p>Jack eventually snapped out of it, giving chase once again and demanding to know what the ghost had done with his son, where he'd hidden him. </p><p>He wanted to shoot him down but the only thing he had on him, that he could aim with while moving at least, was his blaster, and even with that he was still missing. He'd have to pretty much stop to get a decent shot with anything else, and this was his only chance at finding Danny, so he couldn't lose sight of the rat bastard.</p><p>He thought he'd cornered him by chasing him to a dead end, and for a moment he felt smart, but when he turned the corner and took aim Plasmius simply stood there, staring at him. The smirk on his ghostly face looked forced, but his eyes were completely unreadable, and Jack was immediately on edge. Plasmius was waiting for him.</p><p>Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously. </p><p>"What have you done with Danny? Where is my son?!"</p><p>His burning eyes flashed and the smirk widened just a bit.</p><p>
  <em> "Where? Terrible things happen under your watch, dear friend, have you checked the morgue?" </em>
</p><p>It got more of a reaction out of him than he would have liked, but he quickly steeled himself to repeat his question, much to the ghost's annoyance.</p><p>"Where. Is. My-"</p><p><em> "Don't you get it by now? Look around! I don't </em> <b> <em>have</em> </b> <em> your son, you buffoon!" </em>Plasmius nearly roared, hands fisted at his sides, then they relaxed as he brought one to his chin and smirked, floating up to lazily hover as a sly grin spread onto his face. </p><p><em> "Well, at least not in a physical sense." </em> The ghost winked at him. <em> "Yet." </em></p><p>Jack shook his head in bewilderment. What was that supposed to mean?</p><p>"Look, I don't know what you're planning with Vladdy, but leave the kids out of it." Jack took a shaky breath. His eyes were dry from not blinking, he hadn't once since they stopped moving. This was it, he was doing it. He was talking to a ghost. <em> Plasmius </em>to boot. </p><p>Danny would be proud. </p><p>Right?</p><p>Was this a waste of time? A waste of a shot?</p><p>Jack watched the smug expression fade from the specter's face, now wearing an eerily blank mask of an expression with those terrifying eyes boring into his.</p><p><em> "Oh, but Vlad Masters is fair game, yes?" </em> </p><p>Jack glared back. So he <em> was </em>after Vlad. "No, you need to leave my friend alone too, but I know what you ghosts are about. No talk is gonna sway the likes of you." </p><p>You can't talk a ghost out of their obsession. He'd have to end Plasmius one day if he wanted to protect Vlad and his family, but at the moment he needed to get information and to make a few things perfectly clear to this… <em> being.</em> </p><p>"This is me telling you right now, my kids and my wife are absolutely off limits."</p><p>Some of his smile returned, this time genuinely amused, "Your wife? Funny you should mention her…"</p><p>"Stay away from my family. Things could end very badly, very quickly for you, spook." The progress he and Mads were making in the lab now that they could utilize his ecto-signature was going to be a game changer, and the ghost had no idea what was coming.</p><p>Plasmius lifted a brow, his voice clearly goading as he dared a step toward Jack. "Is that so?"</p><p>"Stop." His blaster gave a high-pitched whine as he pressed the charge, prepared to shoot if Plasmius didn't listen to him, which was more likely than not. </p><p>"Keep out of my son, too, you parasite." </p><p>That got quite the reaction from the ghost. What started as an embarrassed sputtering sound turned into very poorly smothered laughter before the ghost could speak again.</p><p>
  <em> "Oh, don't you worry, I haven't been inside him quite yet, but I’d like to think we're almost there…" </em>
</p><p>Maybe this wasn't the productive conversation Danny would have had in mind, as he clearly couldn’t follow it, but he'd gotten distracted after it became clear Danny wasn't hidden away somewhere. This felt stupid, essentially giving a ghost a warning, asking nicely, but he was a bit too emotionally invested to care with Danny being involved, and everything else they'd done in the past had obviously failed them. </p><p>Plasmius seemed to find the chiding just as ridiculous, giving a light snort and rolling his eyes. Jack's brows came together in a determined frown, looking the ghoulish ghost straight in the face, "I won't let you go on slowly <em> killing </em> him with your poison, you-"</p><p><em> "HA!" </em>The sudden laugh alarmed Jack, his jaw snapping shut and his fingers twitching over the trigger, any ease he'd cultivated evaporating with that one sound. Plasmius wheezed, clearly finding something funny in what he said, yet another little joke that went over Jack's head. </p><p><em> "Me?" </em> Plasmius shook his head condescendingly, his amusement clear in his voice. <em> "Only if </em> <b> <em>you</em> </b> <em> don't kill him first." </em></p><p>Jack slowly lowered his weapon, confusion evident on his face, but that only made Plasmius laugh harder, the sound accompanied by a ringing echo that grated in his nerves. He let the ghost get it out of his system, taking the time to process what Plasmius was talking about while he was still relatively docile. For Plasmius. </p><p>In the back of his mind he wondered why the ghost had lingered and entertained this conversation for so long in the first place, as if he was also testing some new methodology in communicating with him. That or this little back and forth truly was just to eat up his time and separate him from his wife, as they were a hell of a team.</p><p>Either way, it had him stuck. Those words hit Jack right in the chest for some reason. </p><p>
  <em> If he didn't kill Danny first? </em>
</p><p>Plasmius' shoulders still shook sporadically, slightly hunched over as his mirth died down. He looked up at Jack, shaking his head yet again at his sheer obliviousness. </p><p><em> "All these years, right under your nose, and you still haven't caught on?" </em> Another eerie chuckle.</p><p>Eventually the ghost straightened up, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. <em> "You really are too funny, Jack. Simple, but funny." </em> He sighed, his expression becoming somewhat flat as he leveled Jack with a lazy smile. </p><p><em> "Well, this has been fun, but I really should get going if I want to beat you home to your wife and children." </em> </p><p>Jack fired six shots without even thinking about it, burning several starburst scorch marks into the brick Plasmius had been floating in front of.</p><p>He lowered his weapon to find himself alone in the alley, but he could still hear the bastard's voice, a creepy cackle that seemed to bounce off all the walls at him.</p><p>
  <em> "I'll see you soon, Jack Fenton." </em>
</p><p>Then silence. He didn't like the sound of that, or what the ghost had said. It implied that Jack wouldn't see Plasmius watching, stalking, hovering, whatever it was that ghosts like that did.</p><p>"Jack? Honey?" His head jerked up as he cleared his throat, blinking back to the present with his wife. </p><p>It took him a second to snap out of it, and slowly he began to explain his thoughts on what happened. He was only able to relay the beginning of the chase when the monitor suddenly lit up and beeped to inform them that Jack's footage had been successfully downloaded.</p><p>His brows shot up at the sudden jump in progress but he took it in stride. "Nevermind, I'll just show you."</p><p>They took a good while to adjust the audio to be more suitable to the human ear for when the ghosts talked. It made their voices sound kind of weird, but they weren't there to listen to themselves. The couple squeezed together despite the large screen, fast forwarding through the parts they'd both been present for, as Maddie's video likely had a much better view of the ghosts and Jack's camera had been covered when he'd been peeking from his hiding place in the studio. They played it from Jack running out into the street with Plasmius flying low to the ground, expertly turning down seedy backways and always <em> just </em> avoiding Jack's shots. </p><p>His glow made the screen pixelated around him now and then, just so. They fiddled with the visual settings after making sure it wasn't the internet acting up, but it remained present throughout the video. Every other shot maintained decent resolution, but these weren't the best cameras in the first place, so that wasn't saying a lot.</p><p>There was also the fact that Jack's camera and head strap looked scorched to hell when she had been handling them earlier, so it was a wonder anything was playing at all. She counted her blessings and focused her attention back to the ghost on the screen when he began to speak now and then.</p><p>Jack wasn't wrong about Plasmius' pointed little jabs, if that wasn't malicious then she didn't know what was. Maddie's lips were pressed into a tighter frown with each of the ghost's oddly personal taunts and she quickly turned to her husband. Would Danny suggest they make nice with him too? Or was this another <em> don't bother </em> situation like Skulker?</p><p>She decided to keep watching before making that call, but he was really deciding for her with how he kept bullying her husband.</p><p>"He's lying, you know. Danny was home the whole time. And you're a great fath-" </p><p>"I know," Jack sighed, stopping her before she could go on 'comforting' him. "He was just saying that stuff to lure me out." It was a little clearer now in hindsight. He rubbed his head again.</p><p>"He wanted to separate us I think…"</p><p>Maddie hummed thoughtfully, nodding and turning to watch the screen once more, occasionally slowing down and saving screenshots of the devilish ghost whenever he did something she considered noteworthy. </p><p>They both jump when there's a bright flash, the edges of it beaming ectoplasmic pink, then they slapped their hands over their ears upon the electrical shriek that followed, the screen pixelating on one side before freezing. Maddie quickly shuts it down to stop the noise.</p><p>Jack's hands run over his face, his jaw tense. "Son of a… I was afraid of that. I thought that shot was gonna knock my head off, but I think he was after the camera all along." </p><p>Plasmius was smart. Jack banged his fist on the table. </p><p>"Maybe we can recover it…" </p><p>Jack shook his head. "Maybe. It's fine, we'll just watch yours." </p><p>Maddie's still had a bit more to go before it was ready to watch, as it wasn't cut short at any point, so Jack carried on from where he left off, albeit with even less enthusiasm than before.</p><p>"I'm surprised you got him to hang around long enough to talk to him."</p><p>Jack swallowed and nodded, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his head. "I didn’t really do anything, he was already lingering. He was even waiting at the dead end when I turned the corner. I think he just wanted to trash talk me a little longer." He gave half a smile.</p><p>Maddie returned it but pressed on. "But why? He'd already dragged you across town, and you said he didn't mention Vlad until you did, so if Vlad isn't his focus here then what is? Is it all Danny? Or… You?"</p><p>Jack gave a shrug, his eyes far off as he ran through the possibilities himself. "I can't imagine why, but he's a more complicated case than most of the ghosts that come around, so who knows what he really wants..." It didn't make any sense, and he was beginning to feel as simple as Plasmius claimed he was.</p><p>There was also one other thing he couldn't quite make sense of.</p><p>"What do you think Phantom was up to in all this?" It had been bothering him for some reason, buzzing around in the back of his mind.</p><p>Maddie began to chew the inside of her lip contemplatively. Should she tell Jack about what Danny told her? That he talked with that ghost now and then? He'd seemed nervous when she asked how often they'd talked, now that she thought about it, and Danny had always been a fidgety fibber. She wouldn't put it past him to downplay their meetings so he wouldn't get in trouble. After all, at first he'd said Phantom just 'saved him a couple times', then it was 'just if a ghost shows up', so perhaps it was even more often than that? It would finally explain how Phantom got a hold of a Fenton thermos, and maybe that was part of why Danny was so jumpy and scared lately…</p><p>Of ghosts? Of them?</p><p>"Mads?"</p><p>She blinked and lifted her goggles to rub her eyes, taking them all the way off in the end and removing her hood. "Sorry, tired. What did you say?"</p><p>Jack cocked his head to the side. "You think he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Phantom, I mean."</p><p>"Right," her shoulders lifted a bit, "I figured Plasmius came to wreak havoc and Phantom just followed to do his hero bit. That's how most of these attacks go."</p><p>"Yeah, but why was Plasmius here? And what was with-"</p><p>Maddie's monitor finally lit up and beeped the download's completion. </p><p>"Maybe we can figure it out!" She grinned and rolled her chair back in front of the controls, having swiveled over to Jack earlier to watch his screen.</p><p>She used the dull beginning to adjust the settings for a clearer sound, then spent a good amount of time finding the best audio filter with which to better hear and understand when the ghosts spoke, getting it done much quicker after learning from her mistakes with Jack’s audio. It made their own voices sound strange again, like they were in a tunnel, underwater, but it canceled out a fair lot of the ghostly echo. </p><p>They'd have to find a way to do something about the glow later, as the pixelation they'd seen in Jack's video hadn't been due to the damage like she'd hoped. They'd have to supe up these cameras so they were better equipped for handling the frequency interferences that sometimes came with trying to film semi-corporeal beings. For now they decided to zoom in when necessary, closer to their faces to perhaps read their lips. This proved to be an impossible task when the ghosts were constantly moving, but the recordings still provided valuable information to log into the growing database they were building.</p><p>Apparently Plasmius could do a few things that they weren't entirely aware of, like mimic voices, so perhaps they'd discover more or catch him using other abilities, so they were watching his every move, pausing now and then to discuss when something stuck out. </p><p>And something did stick out, just not Plasmius.</p><p>She paused on Phantom.</p><p>"Mads?" Jack frowned at her scrunched up face, eyes squinting at the screen. </p><p>She'd stopped the video when both ghost's were in the shot, but they could see only Phantom's face, half grinning, half baring his teeth at the other ghost.</p><p>He looked back to his wife, not finding anything particularly special about the shot but willing to discuss it if she found it noteworthy. "You know, I kind of got the feeling they were horsing around at some-"</p><p>"Have his teeth always been that sharp?" She asks suddenly, zooming in to his face to show Jack what kept catching her eye. "I wanted to ask you about it when you got home but then the whole thing with Danny happened…"</p><p>Jack frowned but otherwise focused his attention to what she was showing him. They actually did look sharp.</p><p>Her head snapped to the side, eyes a little wider than normal. "No, right?" </p><p>Plasmius had teeth like that, but she didn't remember Phantom ever having the same. When did that happen? His jaw seemed to be more on the square side now too…</p><p>They were supposed to be studying up on Plasmius but Phantom kept hogging her attention, little things popping out now that were harder to notice in the midst of the ghost attack, but seemed obvious now that they had a decent visual of him nice and still. </p><p>He looked bigger, less like a ghost child than when she first laid eyes on him. He was still smaller than Plasmius, the growth had been slow, after all, natural…</p><p>It hadn't bothered her until it became particularly noticeable, around a year or two ago, but it was a discussion she and Jack had been having off and on since it came to their attention.</p><p>Why was Phantom growing?</p><p>He was the only ghost doing it. He was always changing, now and then he came into new powers, like that crazy ghost screaming he did when he wanted to inflict maximum damage to city property. One day he shot the Box Ghost clear out of the sky with his <em> eyes </em> and he seemed just as surprised as everyone else.</p><p>Remarkable as those things were, it was still the physical development she couldn't get over.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Ghosts were dead, they didn't get older or bigger with time. They had tricks, sure, but why make it so gradual? Why maintain it like he did, even when no one was looking? Was it a delusion? Part of his obsession?</p><p>Her foot began to bounce rapidly and Jack put a hand on her shoulder, the weight of it briefly rocking her to one side before she adjusted. "Take note of that for later. We'll make a separate file of clips and pictures for Phantom and compile it all there, but for now we need to focus on figuring out this Plasmius mess for Danny."</p><p>She pressed her lips together tightly, like she was <em> just </em> stopping herself from protesting, but instead she nodded, shelving her thoughts of Phantom aside for now.</p><p>Or trying to. </p><p>Jack was right, though, they had to find some sort of weakness for Plasmius, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Phantom, even if it was for Danny. As the video played on she kept having to drag her eyes back to Plasmius, but more and more little things were bothering her the longer she watched them both.</p><p>They were breathing. Plasmius too. They weren't faking, it was too real. She saw it when they talked, when the two were fighting, and even when they were still, just standing or floating there. These fucking ghosts were <em> breathing </em> and they'd actually caught it on tape. </p><p>She'd called Phantom out on it multiple times, and every time he explained that it wasn't some trick, that it just happened sometimes, that he couldn't help it, all of the excuses in the book. She'd called him a liar and a trickster and a number of other less than pleasant things...</p><p>If that wasn't a lie then what else was he telling the truth about?</p><p>She still couldn't, wouldn't, believe he was all heroics and good will, there was just no way, but he certainly was different from the other ghosts. A real mystery, that one.</p><p>They watched Plasmius fling Phantom around like a rag doll, unknowingly shaking their heads each time he got back up.</p><p>"They sure are durable…" Jack huffed in barely subdued astonishment. </p><p>The scientist in her wondered exactly <em> how </em> durable, but she reluctantly set the thought aside. The ghosts were on the ground now, their grunts and panting breaths suddenly audible to the cameras, and they watched on as Plasmius held Phantom up by the throat, squeezing harder the more he struggled.</p><p>They both cringed a bit when they heard Maddie's warped voice say 'wait' under her breath, lowering the mouth of the bazooka slightly off screen before refocusing on the fight, the ghosts' voices much easier on the ears with the filter. Jack quickly high fived her when Plasmius' voice came through the speaker loud and clear.</p><p><em> "So what constitutes a win, my boy? Must I wait for you to tap out?" </em>She and Jack are on the edge of their seat despite having already witnessed this battle, brows scrunching together with worry as the smaller ghost chokes and squirms. </p><p>Jack pauses the video.</p><p>"Why doesn't he just… phase out of it?" Jack pressed his thumb to his chin as he frowned at the screen. Maddie frowned too before her brows slowly rose, her mouth forming a contemplative 'oh' just before she spoke.</p><p>"What if Plasmius won't let him? I think I've seen Phantom try that before, with Plasmius even, and anytime Phantom went invisible or intangible, Plasmius did right along with him, and he'd laugh when they reappeared, like he was toying with him." Plasmius really was one sick puppy.</p><p>Jack's face winced. "<em> With </em> him...That's crazy. Probably really scary for the ghost kid…"  Maddie blinked at the empathy in his voice before realizing she shared the sentiment.</p><p>She quietly hits play on the video once more.</p><p><em> "Hmm? What was that Little-" </em> Plasmius was leaning into Phantom's face, his condescending voice becoming harder to hear as he got uncomfortably close.</p><p>They were both quite satisfied to watch him fly across their screen after Phantom kicked out of his chokehold.</p><p>
  <em> "You win when I can't do that, cheesehead." </em>
</p><p>Jack laughed and Maddie found herself smiling too. She was beginning to understand why he had a few fans…</p><p>Skulker appeared, looking haggard. <em> "I am done being the distraction for you abominations. She actually hit me this time. I did my part and I want my compensation." </em> </p><p>Maddie jotted down the words 'abomination' and 'compensation' on a notepad, no longer wanting to pause the video but <em> knowing </em>these were important somehow.</p><p>They rewatched the rare interaction, the scary eyes and the playing chase.</p><p>"Do you think Plasmius-"</p><p>"No, Jack," She interrupted him flatly, then her voice became gentle. "I don't think you and Plasmius were playing the same game." She gestured to the ghosts zipping after each other. Jack pouted and shrugged.</p><p>"Yeah, I figured…"</p><p>At this point they were in the condemned studio, and Phantom was busting through the roof on screen.</p><p>They rewatched him as he rid himself of the dirt, cursed Plasmius, and then <em> wheezed </em> and he <em> tried to catch his breath </em>.</p><p>More to make note of for later, she supposed, and they waited for Plasmius to lay him out yet again.</p><p>The sound of him slamming the ghost to the ground made the speakers pitch, and they were almost just as affected by hearing it the second time around. Plasmius rose to taunt him, but a lot of the banter exchanged went over their heads</p><p>
  <em> 'Feed second like a loser' </em>
</p><p>What was that about?</p><p>You could hear the smirk in his voice as Plasmius took aim at the other ghost, asking if he had any last words, only for Phantom to embarrass him.</p><p>Jack talked over the video, "I really thought it was the end for Phantom here, then he went and said that." He huffed an embarrassed but oddly proud laugh, shaking his head again. </p><p>They paused and discussed the apparent ghost hierarchy, then the subject of money, having been under the same impression as Phantom about ghosts and trade.</p><p>"So they have currency, which could make sense for the ghosts that interact with our world, and then there's obviously some level of command with how Skulker just yielded to Plasmius like that." Maddie was furiously scribbling in her note book, Jack shrugging along.</p><p>"I wouldn't be surprised if Plasmius is bad news even to other ghosts." His lip curled in disdain. Maddie nodded, then looked over to her husband with a confused expression. </p><p>"But wait, why pay Skulker to terrorize the mall?" </p><p>Jack hummed, staring at the keyboard as he tried to find an answer for her. "I'm not sure, but he was definitely up to something. Phantom probably caught him in the act and tried to stop him."</p><p>They both shared a look at what that implied. Plasmius being bad news, and Phantom going after him, distracting him, being the hero…</p><p>"But weren't they just playing around?" It had looked that way...</p><p>Jack's bushy brow raised skeptically, "Maybe for some parts, but throwing someone through a building is pretty hardcore, even for a game of spooky death-tag or whatever they were doing." He couldn't think of any better way to describe what the ghosts had been doing. </p><p>They pressed play after Maddie finished a page, flipping the notebook and already flinching back from what she knew was about to happen.</p><p>
  <em> "Oh please, like you're so scary anymore-" </em>
</p><p>They both sat a little straighter in their chairs when Plasmius slammed Phantom into the wall, choking him again and laughing. Jack watched slack-jawed, as Maddie had a <em> much </em> better view of this than he'd originally had.</p><p>He was glad at least <em> her </em> video survived their mis-adventures today.</p><p>They leaned in to the speakers and turned it up just as Plasmius got uncomfortably close to Phantom, the hunters eager to hear what the devious ghost had been whispering to make Phantom's face look so horrified.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>They still couldn't make out what the ghost was whispering at all, it was nothing but smothered murmurs that barely registered.</p><p>The Fentons shared look. He'd have to have his mouth pressed right up against Phantom's ear for the mic not to pick up the sound. They shared a small shudder.</p><p>Jack's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw Plasmius lick the ectoplasm that had dripped down the side of Phantom's face and neck. He'd been behind Plasmius, so he'd only seen the ghost's back, so he had no idea he'd missed <em> this </em>. </p><p>What in the world?</p><p>He looked over to his wife again to see her just nodding, probably reading his mind, if not his face.</p><p>
  <em> "Now it's time the winner takes his prize." </em>
</p><p>Maddie points to redirect his eyes back to the screen. "And this is when the ghost boy sees me."</p><p>Jack looks back just in time to see Plasmius' mouth move somewhat suspiciously over the smaller ghost's neck. Okay, really suspiciously. For a moment he didn't react, sure that he'd imagined it at first, but then it happened again.</p><p>He sat there a bit stunned, even as Phantom made eye contact with Maddie, and subsequently the camera, crying out and struggling to get away even harder than before.</p><p>Jack blinked rapidly as he slowly caught  on, raising his hand as though to put a stop to the insanity that he was bearing witness to. </p><p>"Wait, wait, honey, did he just… kiss Phantom's neck?" She stared at her husband as he rose from his seat to better view the screen, shaking her head.</p><p>"What? No way, watch, he nearly tears out his jugular, like an animal-"</p><p>"No, no, before!" Jack rewinds and pauses before tapping the screen with his pointer finger, directly over where Plasmius' lips met Phantom's neck, long before his teeth got involved. "A lotta things might get by me or go over my head, but I know a kiss when I see one, Mads."</p><p>She slowly stood with him, squinting in disbelief. </p><p>The face Phantom was making on screen was hard to pin down but he looked almost as surprised as they did.</p><p>He'd clearly been expecting pain just a few frames before, and his expression morphed into shock just after opening his eyes, but it was hard to tell if that was from the other ghost's strange behavior or from seeing Maddie.</p><p>"What the-"</p><p>The Exodus lit up the lab, its siren muted since they were inside to see it, and the blinding light strobed in alarm to tell them of a spike in ecto-energy nearby. They both hopped up to stand, their wary stares both landing on the improved scanner they had hooked up to the Exodus system. It was still calibrating with the new sample they'd acquired but it was still more than capable of telling them whether or not the ghost setting off the alarm was Plasmius or not.</p><p>It was flashing tellingly pink.</p><p>Jack yanked it from the cord and pulled her upstairs.</p><p>"We need to get to Danny's room. I know he's here. There. With Danny!" He really wished the shield was up over the whole house already so he couldn't get inside in the first place, but they hadn't quite gotten there yet.</p><p>He didn't have to say anything else to have Maddie grabbing her blaster and speeding off, hightailing it through the kitchen and around until they were storming up another flight of stairs to the bedrooms. They slowed significantly as they approached the top, tip-toeing into the hallway towards Danny's door where a dim light glowed from underneath. </p><p>Maddie turned back to look at Jack, who threw a glance to the door, then back to his wife. After the briefest hesitation she nodded, permitting him to rear back and bust through to Danny's room.</p><p>She expected a scream, or maybe shouting, but when the door came down Danny was just sitting there on his bed, staring out the window with his fingers pressed to his lips. Slowly, as if in a daze, he looked over at them, brows coming together sleepily. Maddie frowned.</p><p>"Danny, honey, are you okay?" Her eyes darted around them, following Jack as he scanned each corner of the room. The ray he'd installed was dim and flickering, as it likely had a few bugs to work out, but it seemed to be getting a decent read.</p><p>She turned back to Danny, who seemed to be too out of it to push her away as she flashed a light into his eyes. He squinted and leaned away but she gripped under his jaw, trying to shine the light into his mouth, then he really started fighting. He grabbed her wrists and threw them away from his person with alarming force, scooting all the way back to the head of the bed before daring to speak, his voice a somehow shaky growl of a sound.</p><p>"What the hell are you guys doing?!" His eyes were impossibly wide now, completely awake as they bounced between his parents. His father stood stock still in the corner by the door while his mother was <em> still </em> trying to inspect him.</p><p>"We just wanted to make sure you're okay! A ghost was in the house. Or near the house."</p><p>"Or a mile away, or downtown, or in Wisconsin!" He spat rapidly, "None of that stuff works!" He turned to address his father. "And I thought we were done busting down my door after last time!" </p><p>Jack just stared back, looking half guilty, half… something else. Danny jerked his head away so he wouldn't have to see the odd expression.</p><p>"Look around. There are no ghosts, so you can let me sleep and get out of my room." </p><p>Maddie opened her mouth to protest but Danny was already cutting her off.</p><p>"Out." This time there was a tinge of foreboding to his voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck raise up.</p><p>Jack was feeling similar sensations of dread, but it was more from the uncanny likeness he could hear in Danny's voice when he said <em> 'Look around' </em>like that, just as Plasmius had. It made his skin crawl, and as discreetly as humanly possible, Jack carefully aimed the ecto-reader at his son and activated the scanner.</p><p>A faint pink washed over Danny and he gave a small jerk and an even smaller yelp, glaring up to the source of the light. </p><p>Jack quickly hid the scanner behind his back, bearing the brunt of Danny's piercing stare. </p><p>"What was that?" His eyes narrowed even further when Maddie began to speak again.</p><p>"Danny, you know you can talk to us-"</p><p> Jack was suddenly at her side, silencing her with an insistent squeeze to her shoulder.</p><p>"We're sorry, Danno, got carried away as usual. I'll have your door fixed up tomorrow. You can go back to sleep." And then he was tugging at Maddie's arm yet again, this time to get <em> away </em> from Danny's room.</p><p>He dragged her halfway down the stairs before she finally yanked free.</p><p>"What was <em> that </em> about? Did you see how weird he was at first, and then how he <em> looked </em> at me, ugh!" He didn't respond, simply staring at the scanner in his hand as he continued down the steps and through the house. "Jack?"</p><p>She hurried ahead of him, standing on her toes to stare at the screen he was holding so close to his face. "Did you get a read? It was him, right? The Wisconsin Ghost?"</p><p>"I don't know how accurate it is…" He sounded skeptical. </p><p>She bit her lip. "Did you… scan Danny?"</p><p>Jack nodded. "I did. That's why I'm a little iffy on how accurate the read is." Or maybe it was denial, because he didn't think he could take such blatant confirmation of Plasmius' taunts, of their suspicions. </p><p>"Jack… Why did you rush us out? What did it say?"</p><p>There was a flash of grief just before Jack sighed. He needed them out of there because he didn't want to rile Danny, or the ghost hitching a ride. They couldn't separate the two at this point anyway, so they needed to keep both Danny and Plasmius at ease and unawares as they continued to observe and build up safer countermeasures.</p><p>"<em> Jack! </em> " Maddie half whispered, half huffed, trying to get him to actually <em> tell </em> her what he was thinking.</p><p>His face fell, seemingly at odds with some notion in his head.</p><p>"The scanner says Plasmius is still up there."<br/><br/><br/></p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>DON'T FREAK OUT<br/>Vlad and Danny WILL have a discussion about consent/boundaries/safety when that time comes. They're both still figuring this out, still finding where to draw their lines.<br/>If things get weird I'll tag it as such, or if you feel like something needs to be tagged, lemme know!</p><p>Thanks again for all the support! I'm really glad you're all enjoying the story, keep leaving me comments because they warm my cold dead heart~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. The Interlude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just Danny in and out of reflecting on the last week, avoiding his problems, spending time with Vlad, long tangentful talks, Danny being lowkeyhighkey scared of his own parents, Vlad not knowing how to cope with, like, anything and Danny has good intentions but serious boundary issues and Vlad has mood swings. You know. The usual.</p><p>After this things get… tricky;]</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This took forever to get out for a lot of reasons and I was kinda worried about it? I wanted the story to be further along by now but I also don’t want to leave anything unsaid. Then there was like, the weird couple weeks after my trip home where I struggled to write or function at all. Idk, visiting family over Halloween put me in A State™ and I was having a really hard time writing these dumbass toxic ass characters without projecting my dumbass toxic ass family members onto them and making me mad/sad. So I just. Couldn’t. Which made me feel lowkey like a failure. Then I started having to work overtime because two of my coworkers got covid, so not a lot of binge writing goes down anymore.<br/>TLDR; Oversharing</p><p>This chapter is long bc I feel bad, but not bad enough to stick to a strict schedule, so here ya go.</p><p>Big shoutout to   Just-a-Useless-Writer   for looking over this and reassuring me that it wasn't hot garbage! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p>The next few days spent in his house seemed to drag on and on for Danny. He burned through as much of his punishment as humanly (and inhumanly) possible up in his room, only coming out once or twice a day to eat or to relieve himself, but that was about it. He passed it off as sulking again, but that was honestly bottom tier on the list of reasons he was avoiding his parents.</p><p>Anytime he actually ran into his mom or dad they'd had some anti-ghost gadget in their hand, which usually just so happened to be pointed in his direction, maybe more than usual. They gave him the most unsettling looks now too, enough to make his skin crawl- or maybe they were just using their more experimental tech on him, and <em> that </em> was what made his skin crawl. He wasn't sure. His thoughts were long-winded and rambling any time he was under that roof now, like a steady stream of paranoid inner monologue. He was seriously hoping that it was another Vlad side-effect, because he hated the thought of going crazy all on his own.</p><p>But maybe it was justified paranoia. He wished it was all in his head, but he swore he <em> felt </em> one of them scanning him or something at least one of the few times he'd dared to venture out of his room. He always played it cool, pretended not to notice, maybe told a joke about the ghost gear always reacting to him, or he <em> tried </em> to joke about it. Careful, passing small-talk to ease the tension. They'd lighten up a bit and look more natural, but there was always this underlying edge that remained, and most things said between them felt robotic and put on. <br/><br/>It never took very long for the conversation to veer into the subject of ghosts again. That's when he'd conveniently find a reason to run back upstairs, even if he didn't get whatever he’d initially come down for.</p><p>After his father none-too-subtly plucked one of his hairs at dinner he'd started having Jazz bring his food up to his room.</p><p>He didn't know what he was going to do once she went back to school. Probably move out. He hadn't felt this scared in his own house, or of his parents, since he first went ghost. At this point he wasn't sure if he could do it anymore, tell them what happened back then, that is. </p><p>What would they do to him if they found out he and Phantom were one and the same? What would they do to him if they <em> never </em> found out? There was this uneasy pit of dread in his stomach telling him that it wouldn’t be anything good either way. He was probably doomed.</p><p>Jazz had teared up a bit whenever he confessed these fears to her after she'd come home the next evening, and Danny admittedly had as well. She was floored when he'd first told her about what happened while she was away, the staged ghost attack, the foiled fight-date and the chaos that followed that night, and she apologized profusely for not being there to help somehow. It was a good heart to heart, very much needed and quite possibly the glue that held him together for the last week and a half or so, in retrospect. </p><p>They talked it all out, sans a few awkward details Jazz didn't need to hear about when it came to Vlad stuff. Even though Danny'd reassured her that none of what happened was her fault, and that she was already doing the most by being there now to help him think and talk about it, she still felt bad and took it upon herself to do some valuable snooping to find out what their parents were up to. She was <em> going </em> to make it up to him. <br/><br/>His sister always had his back. </p><p>Getting information was surprisingly slow going at first, but once Jazz finally convinced their parents that she <em> was </em> in fact interested in their newest projects, and that no, she was <em> not </em> simply humoring them or asking for someone else, they were more than happy to tell her all about their latest work- with <em> ecto-signatures </em> . They hadn't really focused on that before, so she actually did become a little curious as they went on. They showed her how the new and improved ectoreader, the trackers, and eventually the Exodus system, could all be set to one particular ghost signature, which would spell an inexorable end for whichever ghost it was locked on to. When she asked <em> why </em> they were suddenly so into the subject of signatures they immediately clammed up again, giving her some lame excuse about 'simply experimenting with their samples' or something, an obvious lie. Then she asked where they <em> got </em> their sample, because if it was Danny’s then boy were they all in trouble. <br/><br/>The eldest Fentons froze, staring blankly before Maddie rather enthusiastically claimed they came upon it while on a hunt the day before, which didn’t really answer Jazz's silent question until they were kicking her out, pausing at the top of the steps to show off their biggest project. The fully ecto-calibrated anti- <em> Plasmius </em> shield.</p><p>It was better described as a shield with spikes or something of the like, both defensive and offensive, as the<em> 'anti-Plasmius' </em> energy integrated into the field was meant to react to that very ghost’s presence with great hostility.</p><p>At the time she’d simply been relieved that it wasn’t attuned to Danny, but when Jazz relayed all of this to him he'd nearly had a heart attack. </p><p>"Calm down, it'll be okay! We just have to keep Vlad out of the house, it's just his signature the shield is locked onto." Simple enough, especially after his last visits went oh so very well...</p><p>Danny removed his hands from his face, a miserable expression revealed in the process. "Let me remind you that I'm currently chock full of Plasmius ghost-blood right now. I nearly fried the other day!” His eyes seemed far away as he seemed to recall what happened the night before. “I must have set off the freaking Exodus when…" </p><p>When they were feeding. When he changed… <br/><br/>"Oh fuck, Vlad was right, I can't go ghost here… I can't <em> be </em> here!" They’d get him. He would set off another alarm, or maybe even a trap, and they would finally catch him and rip him apart molecule by molecule before he could even explain or say sorry, and he’d go to the after-afterlife, if there was even anything left of him, and-!</p><p>It had taken her over an hour to console him.</p><p>It was after that incident that he holed himself up in his room again.</p><p>Jazz kept him up to date on what was going on downstairs, and with their parents in general since he avoided both like the plague after their father's stunt. She wanted to say they were concerned with Danny's behavior, but when she brought it up they seemed to shut down or change the subject. It was extremely strange, given that they were typically more than happy to share whatever was on their minds with her, especially when it came to Danny. Neither of them were particularly private under normal circumstances either, now that she and Danny were grown at least, so something was definitely up with the sketchy behavior. Even <em> she </em> was beginning to feel weird around them, which was why she didn't try to stop him when Danny started leaving the house and staying out all night, after his punishment was up of course. He'd get permission too.</p><p>Danny told them all he was mostly staying at Sam's, which Jazz knew to be false, since the Mansons were at their ski lodge for at least another week, but their parents bought it and let him go, likely out of guilt for scaring him into isolating himself again. They gave him a decently long leash, but only if he told them where he was and he kept his phone on him. </p><p>While Danny was away, with Vlad no doubt, she'd called Tucker over to help her figure out what they could do to get some of the heat off Danny. The first chance they got, as her parents seldom seemed to leave the lab these days, she and Tuck raced down to sabotage the Fentons' research as discreetly as possible- perhaps make sure they ran into technical difficulties with the shoddy cameras she found hooked up to the monitors…</p><p>Then they pulled up the videos.</p><p>Both Jazz and Tucker's jaws dropped.</p><p>Tuck's old PDA, the one he now used solely for ghost affairs, was already connected and downloading by the time they closed their mouths. </p><p>Jazz pressed a hand to her forehead, eyes bugging out a bit. "Please tell me my parents haven't seen that yet."</p><p>Tucker shook his head with a tight grimace, highly doubting that since it was the first thing to come up. They'd probably watched it forty times over by now. "Yeah, no. Either way that's gotta go." </p><p>With one click his device was disconnected, and the videos pixelated out of existence, gone from both the cameras and the lab computers. </p><p>"Oh, Danny's gonna owe me big for this one." </p><p>Neither of them could find the controls for the anti-Plasmius shield, and even if they could they'd probably have a hard time figuring out how to disarm it, so they quickly wrapped up. They made sure everything was right where they found it and got out of there only a minute or so before her parents returned.<br/><br/>Mission accomplished.</p><p>As troubling as the current climate of the household was, she had to admit it was fun being a part of Team Phantom again, and she was glad she could help Danny out like she used to, so it was really a win-win. She tried to spend extra time with him whenever he was home since he seemed to be distancing himself from their parents more and more. </p><p>They hung out in his room and talked about school, ghosts, and their parents of course, and sometimes even about Vlad. Jazz didn't really think it was a good idea for her to get <em> too </em> involved in that area of her brother's life considering how she felt about the man he was dating, but she could tell it was good for him to have someone to listen and process his thoughts and feelings with.</p><p>And it really was good for Danny. He didn't know if it was just more ghost stuff or regular human infatuation, but he could feel himself getting pretty wrapped up in Vlad the more time he spent with the man, so the outsider perspective really kept him grounded in reality.</p><p>He wanted to say the older halfa was getting a little wrapped up in him too, though Vlad had never been too shy about his own weird fixations. Danny went one day without sneaking over to Polter Heights or the castle and that same night he saw Plasmius hovering off in the distance, stalking him and Tucker on their walk back from the Nasty Burger. Oddly enough, it had made him smile. The creep.</p><p>Outside of his obsessive surveillance, Vlad had other surprisingly subtle ways of expressing affection and care, ones that he did seem to be more shy about. </p><p>Danny got the feeling that Vlad was secretly the touchy type, or at least he wanted to be, more so than he let on. He didn't seem to be all that aware of it himself at first, as it was mostly nonchalant touches, little caresses in passing that one typically might not notice- but Danny noticed them. Those were the ones that made Danny happiest, like Vlad's body was naturally drawn to him and couldn't help seeking him out. That's usually when Vlad would catch his giddy grin and realize what he was doing, then turn a bit pink before snatching his hand away. Danny wished he wouldn’t.</p><p>The sheer fact that Vlad wanted to be physically affectionate with him had Danny practically vibrating whenever he thought about it, but they had yet to really talk about how weird that night in his room had been, and that was over a week ago now, as they'd already celebrated New Years. That's kind of a long time not to talk about something, and he got the feeling that incident was responsible for a fair portion of Vlad's increased hesitance whenever Danny tried to makeout with him. Something was bothering Vlad, stopping him from fully committing to those intimacies like he seemed to want to do, but neither of them were sure of how to broach that topic.<br/><br/>So they avoided the topic altogether. <br/><br/>It was driving Danny crazy. Not necessarily the ‘avoiding the conversation’ thing, he fully understood that, he could not-talk about things all day if he wanted, and it wasn't like he expected to fuck everyday when they agreed to see each other, but… He didn't know, maybe he was scared Vlad was losing interest? It was confusing and frustrating and he didn’t know what it was supposed to mean. He was sure he was going to break soon. <br/><br/>Weren’t older dudes supposed to be super horny for younger guys or something? Should the fact that he sometimes had to coax affection from Vlad worry him? Wasn’t Vlad supposed to be kinda obsessed with him? <br/><br/>He was beginning to wonder if the man was just messing with him and acting so hot and cold like this on purpose, because 'holding back' wasn't Vlad's typical style despite how much he seemed to be doing that lately. Honestly it was a lot more like his own, but if this was a result of their exchange then it wasn’t doing him any favors this time around. <br/><br/>The more walls Vlad put up the more he wanted to tear them down, he was almost crazy about it.</p><p>Was that it? Was he trying to create some kind of mystique and make Danny want him, want to know him more? He really didn't have to, because Vlad already had that and he was the only thing on Danny's mind when his hands ventured below his belt nowadays anyways, should he get a moment alone where he didn't fear for his half life- and, oh yeah, <em> they're already dating </em>. </p><p>How long would Vlad play hard to get, if this really was another head game? At this point the only thing he looked forward to about going home was having the privacy of his room to jerk off, because as weird as the power struggle that night had been for him too, there was no part of it that made him any less ready to climb Vlad like a tree, and Vlad's avoidance of the topic at hand wasn't helping the mounting frustration. </p><p>He sort of hated how well the cold shoulder trick was working on him.<br/><br/>But <em> like hell </em> he’d ever tell Vlad <em> any </em> of that. The man’s head was big enough as it was. He just didn't know how much longer he could play it cool though, and it was starting to freak him out. He’d caught Vlad eyeing him like a piece of meat on more than one occasion, but he always pretended like he was <em> 'doing no such thing, Daniel'. </em> Danny wanted to know why. He’d spent all of last night thinking about it, in and out of sleep. <br/><br/>Maybe it would be today. His longing for physical contact aside, he hated having to tiptoe around the elephant in the room. He didn’t know how Vlad did it. He just… didn’t talk about it, pretended that strangely electric night never happened but still managed to act super weird about it. It wasn’t healthy, and it definitely wasn’t normal, but this was how he seemed to be dealing with certain parts of their ‘situation’. He was pretty closed off about some other topics too, like the other night, of course, but other things like parts of his time in the hospital, the kiss in the lab, his college days. He got a funny look on his face whenever Danny's mom was mentioned, but Danny didn't like to talk about her with Vlad much anyway, so it was rare. Other subjects here and there seemed to give Vlad great pause before they were dodged or dismissed as well, but Danny just had this <em> sense </em> that prying was a bad idea, so he rarely pushed him. </p><p>Vlad was a private person, partly because he didn’t have many friends to share things with, but mostly because he was always up to no good. That considered, Danny still didn't suspect anything nefarious of the man lately, and besides, he couldn't expect complete transparency when there were a few things he still kept from Vlad too…</p><p>Like… maybe having a <em> slight </em> clue as to why he's starting to look the way he does in ghost form... </p><p>That was always a fun subject to think about.</p><p>When he did finally have to face his newest form it had been to get to Vlad's castle. When he was free from the confines of his punishment he’d left his house and walked into a familiar alley nearby, close but still a good two blocks away to be safe, and he finally transformed after four long days as a human. He felt good. Strong, even though that many days had passed since he'd last fed. He'd flown invisibly so no one would see his new look, not bothering to even attempt to mask it like Vlad taught him, since he didn't know what all to alter, so <em> incognito </em> was his best option at the time. </p><p>Truthfully, he was almost afraid to see himself. He knew he had claws now, but what else? He was pretty sure he'd throw up if his eyes were red. Vlad hid his reaction a little too well when they were in his room, but it was obvious that he was quite alarmed by the transformation himself, which wasn't very comforting. Still, Danny would rather have him there than be alone when he sees his latest changes for the first time. </p><p>Vlad was waiting for him as Plasmius when he finally appeared in the lab, rushing over, then stopping just before extending his hand and touching his face. Danny shrugged and nodded his permission, trying his best to keep his eyes open as Vlad gently ran his thumbs over the slightly tinted skin underneath, tugging down at the lower lid of one and quirking his head to the side curiously.</p><p>"... Are they red?" </p><p>Vlad frowned as those dark eyes watered.</p><p>"No, Little Badger, green as ever…" True enough.</p><p>He ran a hand through Danny's white flame hair, finding it ice cold, and almost like touching how people imagined clouds to feel, but not quite. His eyes dropped to Danny's lips, one more thing to inspect.</p><p>His hand followed his eyes and gently pressed down on Danny's chin, unconsciously parting his lips to show Daniel what he wanted.</p><p>Danny caught on and tipped his head back a bit as he opened his mouth, his brows pressed together in mild concern. God, did his fangs get bigger too? </p><p>His concern grew when he felt Plasmius' thumb pressing against his tongue, and his eyes crossed in a half successful effort to stare at the other ghost. His tongue moved against the thumb pressing it down, a completely natural response, and he had the pleasure of watching Plasmius’ cheeks turn pinkish-purple before he promptly removed his hand and glared at the smirk Danny was sending him.</p><p>"<em> Fruit Loop </em>. Always sticking your fingers in my mouth." Just as Danny finished the sentence he closed his lips and actually felt his tongue, felt just how different it was, and why Vlad had been so fascinated by it. His playful smirk fell.</p><p>"Where's a mirror. I want a mirror now." He looked all around the lab, ignoring Vlad's soft pleas of <em> "Daniel, calm down…" </em> in his search.</p><p>When he finally saw himself he cried. Again.</p><p>This time Vlad hadn't asked why. In fact he didn't ask anything of Danny. Vlad just held him, rocked him, drew soothing circles onto his back as he cried until he passed out in the man's lap and reverted back to human form.</p><p>He woke some time later in the den, laying on Vlad's chest, and he just stayed that way for a good while, fully aware Vlad knew he was awake but appreciating the silence. Vlad eventually sat them up on the couch, still not commenting on his sullen expression and puffy face, or the fact that he'd gone totally mute. </p><p>Instead he somehow manifested a copy of the book that Lancer had assigned Danny for over the break, probably from his own personal library. The older halfa gently cleared his throat and gracefully sat back down, leaving a fair bit of space between them, should it be desired. Danny stared blankly as his boyfriend began to read aloud.</p><p>He didn't understand what the man was really doing until he found himself getting lost in the story. After just a few paragraphs in that soothing baritone he'd stopped thinking about Dan, or about his freakish eyes and the fucking fire hair and all the other <em> bullshit </em>. Danny eventually snuggled up close to Vlad and enjoyed the sound of the man's voice, for once interested in his English homework. </p><p>He left Vlad's the following evening feeling much better, comforted and cared for. Warm. He was confident that no matter what he looked like, no matter what happened or what he turned into, he could be sure that at least Vlad would never see him as a monster. They could figure this out together. Probably. </p><p>But then there was figuring out how and when to show his friends...  </p><p>It was such a wild contrast from their past, such a flip-flop in confidants, it still blew his mind.</p><p>Coping with his haunting new look had just been his first day off of house arrest, and he spent the night and the entire next day at Vlad's until the man convinced him to check in with his parents, as it was New year's eve at the time, but he continued to return to his mentor's company after. Since they started Danny's training he rarely ever wanted to leave Vlad's side if he could help it, and he sort of hadn't, outside of a few ghost fights since the holidays were over. He'd come home all of three times in the week or so since then, only stayed the night twice really, and here he was presently, hugging Jazz goodbye and leaving Fenton Works yet again.</p><p>It just didn't feel right at home anymore. Now he always checked in with Jazz before checking in with his parents, so he could be sure she'd be home while he was there. He didn't want to burden his sister, but he also didn't want to be alone with his parents, so he worked with her schedule when it came time to go back to Fenton Works. She had her own friends and colleagues in town that she wanted to visit before flying back out for school, so he made sure to stay on top of their comings and goings.</p><p>He sent his mom a text about going to Tucker's so she'd know where he was, nearly forgetting. He shot one to Tucker too, in case she checked up. He should probably text Vlad as well, since he was a few hours earlier than what they'd agreed upon. He was supposed to head over a little closer to the evening for training, but Jazz had to leave to visit a colleague in town, and he wasn't about to be ambushed by the latest Fenton-Plasmius-zapper.</p><p>He honestly preferred the ghost fighting to being at home now, even when he <em> wasn't </em>grounded- and the Christmas truce was over, which meant spectral mayhem was back in full swing, so that was saying something.</p><p>But not a lot, considering how much easier his hero work had gotten.</p><p>Vlad was already teaching him a few new moves, but things were mostly easier because he was working with his ghost whispers more. There was little else more satisfying than telling a ghost to fuck off to the ghost zone, and then getting to watch them<em> actually do it. </em> </p><p>The mindless blobs and other noncommunicative ghosts were child’s play, and at the risk of sounding like Vlad, he could probably have them do his chores or whatever, if he really wanted to. The more sentient beings required much more energy and focus, something he hadn’t realized until he was using the ability mid-battle with the worst possible ghosts.</p><p>Spectra and Bertrand had outright guffawed when he demanded they return to the ghost zone the first time, then they erupted into a fit of giggles when he insisted that, <em> yes, he was serious </em> . That had been pretty humbling, but he managed to get the lackey under his spell with a bit more concentration, ceasing all laughter then and there. He tried to get Spectra as well but as it turned out, controlling two fully fledged, completely separate entities was absolutely <em> head-splitting </em>, and he quickly lost control and went into a full out wail mid-command. </p><p>Danny remembered his vision swimming, then falling to the ground with his fingers pressed to his throat, trying to figure out what went wrong. Really wrong. That hurt. He'd only ever really trained the ability with one ghost present, and Dani was a clone of himself, so he wasn't sure how that factored into it. </p><p>He blearily stared across the utter wreck he'd just made out of the local strip mall and prayed that he had enough energy to try again. These were the last ghosts he needed to be captured by right now.</p><p>The two reappeared from an amorphic pool of liquid black some ways away from Danny, watching him try to lift himself to stand but only making it to a crouch. That had taken a lot out of him, more than he thought. </p><p>While Bertrand had seemed confused by the small chunk of lost time in his memory, Spectra had this all-too-knowing look after the failed hypnotism. He couldn't tell if she was displeased or amused, as her expression kept flipping between the two. Purple and green smoke suddenly plumed and swirled from the blackness that began to envelope her again. Bertrand was at her side, still visibly bewildered by all that was happening around him. Spectra shook her head as she eyed Danny one last time.</p><p><em> "Oh ho ho, I always knew you were a little </em> <b> <em>freak</em> </b> <em> , ghost boy, but this really takes the cake..." </em> With a mysterious smirk she disappeared them both, rather unceremoniously too, but her poison had already set in.</p><p>
  <em> Freak. </em>
</p><p><em> That </em> never felt good. </p><p>Now he really wanted to get her under his command. </p><p>That thought had made him stop. It was weird, and probably just Vlad's influence again, but he still wanted to control her. He was mad that he'd been foiled and he wanted to make her pay, unleash the most hellish prank imaginable, he didn't know, <em> something </em>.</p><p>It was laughable, and he did have a slightly bitter laugh to himself for being so <em> Plasmius-like </em>, but there was something else about Spectra that had really bugged him.</p><p>Had she realized what he'd been doing? Did she know about ghost whispers? It couldn't be a common ability, so how would she? Then again, he'd never tried it on more than one ghost at a time, and for all he knew this new ghost power <em> could </em>be quite common.</p><p>Of course, these thoughts were lost in the wake of her devastating name-calling. She always knew exactly what to say to make a person crumble inside, and she did it in passing, as a goodbye, but with such <em> malicious intent </em>.</p><p>And like every time he faced Spectra and Bertrand, he left the battlefield that afternoon with a dark cloud hanging over his head, promptly getting into an argument with Vlad upon arriving at his house that evening, then passing out in a guest bedroom and getting ectoplasm everywhere.</p><p>Vlad had later carried him to what Danny was silently dubbing 'their bed', and when he woke there the next morning they'd had a long discussion about their fight, and then an equally long bitch-fest about Spectra and her ways. It was domestic bliss, by their terms at least. </p><p>He was a lot smarter about staying over at Vlad's now. He always told his parents 'where he was', or where he wanted them to <em> think </em> he was. After he'd gotten his phone back, sans the tracker, thanks to Tucker, he kept it close and set multiple curfew alarms. He had a system.</p><p>Anything to keep them from locking him up in that house again.</p><p>They hadn't <em> really </em> locked him up, he could physically leave if he had wanted, but they were still his parents, and they still held a sort of dominion over him, even if he could legally be on his own now. He contemplated staying gone sometimes, but he couldn't do that to them, or his friends for that matter.</p><p>Besides, it would feel weird to leave before telling them about… well, a few things, now.</p><p>That said, he still planned to stay away from Fenton Works as much as possible, without concerning his parents and getting them on his case again- at least until he figured out how to shut off that shield, since Vlad had yet to talk to his parents. <br/><br/>His mom had cornered him in the bathroom earlier before he left, just as he was walking out into the hall, nearly running into her and setting off whatever Fenton ghost-repelling gear she was no doubt wearing. At first he'd been on full alert, but her posture and general affect didn't scream attack mode so he quickly calmed down. Weirdly, she'd asked him to talk to Vlad next time he went over to visit, literally ask him out to dinner for them. </p><p>He was taking his boyfriend on their first dinner date with his family. Pretty lame. <br/><br/>Also pretty lame that Vlad was all she asked him about, but they were trying to give him space so he understood it to a degree, even if this was a bit much...</p><p>They had backed off quite a bit after almost catching Vlad in his room, and true to his word, Jack had come and replaced his door the very next day. Then Danny heard nothing of it. No questions, no nagging. That's not to say they were back to normal by any means, because while they gave him his space, their shifty eyes just gave him the creeps whenever they crossed paths upstairs.</p><p>Which was why he preferred sleeping at Vlad's now. Not just because he liked when Vlad cuddled him in his sleep. That had nothing to do with it.</p><p>Sneaking over the first two times had been funny, since Vlad had already been dead to the world when Danny wiggled under the covers. Vlad had jerked awake and ready to fight before fully recognizing his intruder, but he'd only grumbled Danny's name under his breath and sighed, returning to his slumber. By the third night Vlad had caught on to his game of breaking and entering and began to expect his late night intrusions. When he got to Vlad's room that third evening the man had already had the duvet lifted so Danny could crawl into bed, something that ended up turning into a sort of semi-nightly ritual for them whenever he came over. </p><p>He was glad to be staying over tonight after sleeping at his own house the night before. Not only did being in his house make him feel paranoid and… strangely itchy sometimes, but sleeping on Vlad's super soft luxurious bed made his twin mattress feel like sleeping on the floor. </p><p>Now he was dead tired and really sore, and <em> so </em> not looking forward to whatever hellish drill Vlad was undoubtedly going to make him run.</p><p>He hoped Vlad would go easy on him today, but he knew hope was futile. Training was going to demolish him. Vlad would probably go even harder if he knew Danny was sleep deprived. Sadistic bastard.</p><p>Still, it wasn’t <em> so </em>bad. Fighting was different when he knew Vlad wasn't trying to kill him, and they usually hung out in the lab and talked lore when training was over, which was cool. Sometimes they fed if they worked on his powers that day, since the overexertion usually drained him and feeding was a quick fix. </p><p>He also wasn't nearly as cruel or cold as Danny imagined he'd be in training-mode. Vlad never pushed him <em> too </em> hard, not at all like how they used to go at it, and he was always warm and relaxed after sparring, sometimes even affectionate on his own. Once Vlad had even come up after a session and casually started massaging his shoulders, praising him for his hard work, then catching himself, or rather Danny's red face, and smoothly removing his hands as he changed the subject. </p><p>It was his new favorite thing, those ‘slip ups’. It probably shouldn't be, but it was. Whenever Vlad said something nice to him or complimented him it sent him over the moon, but when Vlad actually reached out and touched him he was amongst the stars. It was honestly super pathetic, because it shouldn't be such a big deal. Maybe it was because Vlad’s touch used to bring only pain, or maybe because he'd expected more callousness from the man over all, but Vlad rarely ever brought that side of himself to the forefront so much anymore, at least when they were together.</p><p>Though, rarely didn't mean never.</p><p>Danny floated intangibly through the mansion, following the pull from his core to the one that echoed his energy. The pull didn't hurt like it had in the beginning, likely because of how stable they were keeping each other with the feeding lately. He followed the subdued sensation until he was passing through the library, which looked as though it had seen better days, and he groaned. Vlad's notes were splayed over the couch, but he quickly lost interest once he saw that they were about the tapestry that still hung in Vlad's designated study area. </p><p>He was tired of talking about that thing with Vlad.</p><p>Danny liked cool ghost artifacts too, but he didn't think he'd ever like them like Vlad did. He also felt a subtle pull to the tapestry for some reason, but it just made him want to avoid the thing altogether. That was easier for him to do than it was for Vlad, since it was hanging in <em> Vlad’s </em> castle, but nowadays Danny was here with him half the time, so it could start to get in his head like it was in Vlad's.</p><p>He quickly changed back to human, which made dealing with the pull easier, and he began his search for Vlad on foot, since his core was too busy focusing on that stupid curtain to finish tracking the man down.</p><p>It didn't take him long. </p><p>Vlad's bedroom door was still shut, oddly enough. The nights he spent with the older man so far taught him that Vlad typically kept the door open after he woke up, only closing it at night because Maddie the cat apparently preferred to sleep on his face when given the opportunity. </p><p>It was odd, and he had a peculiar feeling as he turned the knob, but he eventually shrugged and pushed the door open. Danny wasn't sure what he expected, really. The room looked as it always did, aside from the unmade bed and empty wine bottle on the nightstand. Vlad was drinking before bed? Jeez, he was only gone for like twelve hours this time.</p><p>He frowned, scanning the room for the presence he knew he felt. His eyes were drawn to the balcony where Vlad had left one of the doors cracked. Danny quietly approached, but before he could even touch the knob the glass door swung open.</p><p>"Daniel?" Vlad's head and shoulders popped in, his ponytail looking quite a bit messier than usual, and the first two buttons of his silky shirt were undone, no jacket or tie in sight.</p><p>He still had his watch though. </p><p>"What are you doing here so early, Little Badger?" He looked mildly miffed, maybe a bit distressed as he seemed to struggle to find his phrasing. "I'm not quite ready for... the day yet."</p><p>Danny frowned, eyes narrowing in slight confusion. "I mean, I know I'm here a little early, but it's like one-thirty…" his eyes narrowed even further when he finally realized what Vlad was wearing. </p><p>Usually Vlad was good and put together by nine at the latest, and that was on days he <em> didn't </em> have to show his face in city hall, yet now he still wore his pajamas. Silky, gray and sleek as they were, they were still pajamas, and Vlad always dressed to the nines. His searching gaze rose up to Vlad’s face.</p><p>The older halfa’s eyes were sleepless, a look Danny was all too familiar with seeing on his own face, perhaps a look he was currently wearing even, and there was the slightest flush to his cheeks that Danny was beginning to suspect had something to do with the empty wine bottle he'd seen before. Vlad also didn't appear to want to come inside anytime soon, for whatever reason.</p><p>Danny raised a brow at the odd behavior, phasing through the other door to join Vlad on the balcony when he got a sudden whiff of the cigarette burning between the older man's fingers, while that same hand held the stem of a nearly empty wine glass. Now that he had full view he could confidently say Vlad looked a mess. He wanted to frown but ended up fighting a smile, because seeing Vlad sans his typical posh composure was almost always just a little hilarious.</p><p>He gave Vlad's occupied hand another meaningful look.</p><p>"Light breakfast?"</p><p>The older man gave a snort, but Danny couldn't tell if he actually found the question all that funny. He looked so… ragged, and a little <em> off </em>. </p><p>Vlad’s gaze fell to something below, or perhaps nothing at all, because he was silent for a while, lost in his thoughts. Danny's teasing smile faded.</p><p>This didn't seem like a regular old lazy-day, and Vlad didn't really do those anyway. "Hey… You okay, Fruit Loop?” <br/><br/>No response. </p><p>He took in the utter exhaustion on Vlad's face, the apparent spaciness, the barely-standing, dead on your feet posture- pun intended. Danny had been there before, he knew the signs, and his face fell a bit further when he began to piece it all together. <br/><br/>“...You sleep alright?" It was a semi rhetorical question, but it did the job and pulled Vlad from whatever nightmare he was probably reliving behind that glazed, somewhere-else look in his eye. </p><p>The wine glass was emptied and placed on the balustrade before Vlad gave Danny a flat side eye instead of responding right away. </p><p>He'd had a rough night, enduring a creative collage of his past traumas in what felt like one long neverending 'bad trip'. Daniel could obviously read it on his face, nevermind the fact that, as Vlad said himself, he was still in his sleep clothes and probably wasn't looking his best. His eyes fell to the cigarette he still held, then Danny, then back to the cigarette before bringing it to his lips and inhaling. He felt like he should be ashamed of being in such a state in front of the younger halfa, and to some extent he still was, but he was far too <em> tired </em> to do anything about it. </p><p>Daniel had already seen him in all his pristine glory. Daniel could probably guess how he got here. Probably already had.</p><p>Smoke was still puffing from his mouth when he finally spoke again. "We both know I did not 'sleep alright', but thank you for asking." </p><p>He didn't sound all that thankful. A brief quiet fell over them before Danny's voice softly broke it.</p><p>"I didn't know you smoked." It almost sounded more like a question than a statement. Danny eyed him curiously as he took another drag. It was thin and expensive looking, probably some imported brand, knowing Vlad. It smelled sort of nice, sort of not, but it was gone before he could really decide. With a small pink zap he watched it disintegrate into ashes- a plume of smoke, then nothing, like Vlad was destroying the evidence.</p><p>"I don't. Only on special occasions." He finally answered, his tone thick with sarcasm.</p><p>"And the wine?" </p><p>Vlad raised a brow at the interrogation, finding himself mildly amused despite how he usually hated having to justify his actions. </p><p>"This is white, practically a breakfast wine." Daniel had essentially said so himself, even if he'd been joking.</p><p>"Again, one-thirty in the afternoon."</p><p>Vlad made a show of checking his watch once more. "Ah, well then, I suppose you're right Little Badger, I really should be sipping my Lunch Wine by now."</p><p>Danny's unamused expression morphed into one of slight concern as Vlad actually stepped past him through the door, presumably to keep his word and go get himself a second glass. Or maybe his third? Fourth? Danny really didn't know how long the man had been drinking. He wordlessly followed Vlad back into his giant bedroom, where he had already retrieved a bottle of what was definitely not wine.</p><p>"That's like... liquor." Danny chuckled nervously, still not sure how to react to Vlad when he was hammered, or on his way there.</p><p>Vlad simply nodded, his voice taking on a slightly higher pitch as he concentrated on pouring himself a small glass. <em> "That's like, what Lunch Wine is, Daniel."  </em></p><p>He tried to hide his vicious smirk behind his drink as he took a sip, finally meeting Danny's eyes as he half leaned, half sat on the corner edge of his bed.</p><p>Danny grimaced at the biting tone despite Vlad's obvious amusement, or… <em> whatever </em> this was. With a somewhat worried frown he cautiously moved forward and tucked a stray lock behind Vlad's ear, his hand falling to a beefy upper arm, something that was hard not to notice right then due to how it suddenly tensed up under his touch. He felt the man curl away from the contact ever so slightly.</p><p>"Was it bad?" He asked needlessly. Of course it was. Why else would the man look like he hadn’t slept a wink? He knew Vlad hated dumb questions, but he didn’t know how else to get the man talking. “The dream, I mean…”</p><p>He could hear Vlad inhale a long, deep breath, then sighing that entire breathe through his nose before answering him. "It wasn't good." He responded flatly, taking a bit more than a sip from his drink.<br/><br/>Danny winced, feeling sort of guilty for some reason after actually confirming his nightmare theory. Vlad once said that he used to sleep pretty soundly before all this began, that his mind hadn't haunted his sleep like Danny's. It was almost like it was his fault...</p><p>Hell, at one point, when he'd still been actively pissed off about the whole 'dropping him to his death' thing, he'd thought Vlad deserved those nightmares and sleepless nights. The guy had done a lot of fucked up things in his life, it was only right to have it replay in his head over and over. He'd wished it upon him.</p><p>But seeing Vlad now, exhaustedly spaced out as he stared just over Danny's head... Or at his hair, he couldn't really tell, either way, it was painful to watch.</p><p>"So, uh, no training today then?" He warily eyed the drink as his fingers trailed down Vlad's arm and fell to play with the hem of his sleep clothes. </p><p>Vlad shrugged him off, setting his drink aside for a moment when he could feel his grip beginning tighten around it. He wasn't going to blow up and make a mess like last time. </p><p>He walked past Danny to stand in front of the balcony door, not entirely sure why he was getting so testy but recognizing when he needed to step back a moment. He looked through the glass at his estate once more to 'zone out', as Daniel might say, and digest his thoughts again, without the all-too-real feeling of fingertips gliding over his skin. He just needed a bit of time to collect himself, as he'd been planning to sulk for at least two more hours before Daniel just showed up. He figured he'd wade through his dreams and memories with the mind numbing effects of alcohol to ease the ache that tended to accompany such thoughts, then it would be less painful to try and figure out why he felt this way.<br/><br/>The plan was to turn into Plasmius to sober himself up, then make a few duplicates to tidy up his bedroom while he went to shower, and he would have been dressed, ready, and right as rain by the time Daniel showed up- if Daniel had just <em> stuck to the agreed upon time! </em></p><p>He felt more than saw the young halfa walk up behind him, also staring out the window as Vlad was, but he could feel Daniel sneaking glances up at his face every now and then as he tried to figure out what to say. Vlad resisted the urge to shake his head at how transparent Daniel could be sometimes.</p><p>The silence was short since it seemed Danny, much like his father, couldn't <em> stand </em> an extended silence when someone was unhappy. "You can, uh, rest up if you didn't get much sleep last night… Sometimes if I've had a really bad nightmare the night before I'll just sleep straight through my first classes to lunch period and-"</p><p>Vlad cut him off. "I had planned on being ready at the designated time, if you had actually shown up <em> then </em>." There, he said it.</p><p>Danny paused, eyes narrowing at him, clearly piqued by the biting tone Vlad was taking. "Well Jazz had to leave, and I can't exactly be there alone with them and all that anti-<em> you </em>shit they've got going on down there!" </p><p>"And you simply had <em> no </em>where else." Vlad finished scathingly.</p><p>Danny gaped at him, almost like the man had slapped him or something. That's what it felt like. He shook his head a little incredulously, trying to wrap his head around Vlad's logic. </p><p>"You expected me to just loiter somewhere, or what, fly around until like five?" Sure, he <em> could </em> have, but he didn't want to do that. He'd wanted to be around Vlad. </p><p>He huffed a laugh, stunned when Vlad didn't disagree or deny wanting him to do just that. "Why, so you have more time to mope and make yourself more miserable than you already are? Sorry to interrupt your breakdown but I’m just trying to stay half-alive."</p><p>Vlad's flat glare remained, but the bright glowing red his eyes had taken on began to dim until deep blue remained, then they looked away.</p><p>"I'm not having a breakdown. I am fine." Vlad's empty tone said otherwise.</p><p>Danny deflated a bit, gently placing a hand on Vlad's back. "It's totally okay if you're not-</p><p>"I <em> am </em>." Vlad bit out, jerking away. Danny only sighed, rolling his eyes despite his best efforts to be sympathetic. Vlad made stuff like this hard for some reason.</p><p>"No, you're not.” He argued as gently as possible, his voice soft. “You actually seem pretty <em> pissed off, </em> and if I had to guess it's because you feel stupid or childish for being all shaken up by something as 'trivial' and ‘below you’ as a bad dream, I mean that's how I always feel, but I don't think our bad dreams are like other people's, and <em> I'm </em> sure as hell not judging you, so there's no reason-"</p><p>Vlad groaned low in his throat before abruptly turning to him mid-sentence, making him jump a bit at the unexpected movement. <br/><br/>"I'm <em> pissed off </em>because you won't leave me be!" His voice was louder than either of them expected, and now Danny was angry again too. </p><p>"Hey, <em> you </em> invited me back over yesterday to train, asshole!"</p><p>
  <em> "At the designated time!" </em>
</p><p>Danny's face scrunched up, eyes narrowed in confusion. Why did it even matter? Had Vlad picked the time <em> anticipating </em>his night terrors? </p><p>He was about to ask when it dawned on him. Vlad hadn't anticipated those, but he <em> had </em> been banking on having more time to himself after he woke up from them, when he decided to drink away his woes that morning. That's why he was getting more worked up, he felt like he'd been caught doing something bad and he was ashamed, and he didn’t know how to deal with that feeling so he was being a jerk.</p><p>How someone could be both a loopy old man and an overgrown toddler still escaped Danny. He shook his head, a knowing expression on his face.</p><p>"Ah, I barged in on your binge. My bad, sorry to kill your buzz, <em> V-man </em>." He said in his most unapologetic tone.</p><p>Vlad's head whipped back over to glare at him once more and Danny felt himself tense for a fight but Vlad did nothing, said nothing, and the ensuing silence that followed left a ringing in their ears. They stayed like that for a while, both stubbornly refusing to feel bad for any brash words or hurt feelings, as they had meant it all and dealt so much worse in the past. Vlad looked as though he was barely holding back from blasting him, while Danny was simply at a loss, glaring back because anger was the easiest emotion to process right then. <br/><br/>But he knew it wasn’t the one he should lean into. He slowed his breathing and talked himself down, shaking his head while he closed his eyes and regained his composure, somewhat quickly, having been on the receiving end of Vlad’s temper too many times for his bark to inspire a true fight or flight response anymore. His bite, though… <br/><br/>That was another story.</p><p>He was still mad at how pissy Vlad was acting, but he'd calmed himself enough to not blow up. That did not, however, mean that Danny was going to let the whole thing go. It might really help Vlad if he opened up, and he wanted the man to feel better, and maybe some selfish part of Danny still wanted it to be because of <em> him </em> that Vlad felt better, and was that so bad? Vlad could talk about it with him, he’d understand. Boyfriends talked about these things together normally, right? </p><p>But they weren't normal.<br/><br/>His voice was soft and a little dejected when he eventually broke the silence again, opening his eyes and looking back up at the older halfa from underneath his dark hair. </p><p>"Look, we don't really have to talk about it if you don't want to, it's cool, but Jazz says that helps a lot and-"</p><p>"Well," he started sarcastically, "Jasmine is the expert, she would know best, now wouldn't she?"</p><p>Danny's eyes narrowed, "Hey, it helped me feel better loads of times, and she actually studies this sorta thing, but I mean, whatever…" </p><p>He tried to keep up his glare but ended up shrugging and trailing off, looking away again when deep blue eyes began to stare at him thoughtfully, if not a little bit petulantly. <br/><br/>If Vlad hadn’t felt weak and childish from the nightmares and the brooding, then he certainly felt that way now that he was in <em> this </em> position. Daniel was absolutely right, he did feel foolish for being in such a state after his not-so-sweet dreams, and the content of said dreams <em> was </em> clearly having an effect on his mental state, but Daniel had to be the one to say it out loud for him, to acknowledge that he was both not okay and not handling that fact very well. </p><p>He wasn't sure whether he felt annoyed or elated that someone could read him so easily, that someone saw him. Then again, he wasn't exactly hiding his inner turmoil all that well to begin with. Perhaps they <em> should </em> ‘talk about it’ after all... <br/><br/>When did the boy become so insightful about these things? And why was <em> Daniel </em> the one trying to comfort <em> him </em> , the adult? The mentor? Vlad Masters? <br/><br/>People didn't comfort him. It wasn't something he knew all that familiarly. He'd tasted it in having friends, back in his college days, and he'd had it for a brief time as a child, with his mother…</p><p>And it was something he was having to relearn now. Vlad's world felt like it had been whittled down to just him and Daniel, so it only seemed natural to seek solace in each other's company, to want to be that solace for the other. Daniel was absolutely right and he hated it.</p><p>He truly was pitiful, moping about and drinking himself silly, but that's what he wanted to do <em> damn it </em>. It was odd and more than a little irritating to have someone call him out on his reckless behavior again, like back in his younger days. </p><p>But it was also… nice, and 'nice' wasn't something Vlad had experienced very often in his life, so he didn't want to snub it out or snap at <em> Daniel </em> for trying, for caring, even if every nerve in his body wanted him to. He was an adaptable individual, he could control his temper. He took a deep calming breath and closed his eyes as Daniel had done. </p><p>"Vlad? So… did you, uh, wanna talk about-"</p><p>"No, not right now…" He finally answered. He wasn't in the talking mood, at least not for the subject of his nightmares, and part of him was hoping Daniel would allow him a few more hours of peace and quiet.  "Perhaps another time." <br/><br/>Danny frowned, not liking the vibe he was getting from the older halfa, and even his core throbbed in unease at how strange Vlad was being, though that could have more to do with not having Vlad's full attention while they were talking. It was like Vlad was trying to pretend he wasn't there, and he'd never seen the man do that before. It made something in Danny's core flare almost lividly, but a frigid fire, and he felt his eyes flash green.</p><p>Vlad was always aware, perhaps not of himself sometimes, but definitely of his surroundings, and especially of Danny. Starvation and mind control had been the only things he'd ever seen really throw Vlad off his game, and neither of those were present, so whatever disrupted the man's sleep had to be… pretty upsetting. </p><p>Vlad was just… out of it.</p><p>Maybe he would feel better after they fed? The exchange always felt like charging up his ghost batteries, so it had to be the same for Vlad. It could only help, right? </p><p>He thought about trying to exude a sort of comforting aura from his core to help the man's mood. He'd sent Vlad good vibes before when he was upset, like back when he was last storming out of Fenton Works. If they were to feed it would probably be twice as effective, and going ghost would sober Vlad right up, clear his head.</p><p>Or make him feel worse. He didn't really know what alcohol was supposed to be doing for Vlad at this point, so if escape had been the goal then maybe sobering up wasn't ideal.</p><p>But his core, having become accustomed to their semi-frequent exchange, was already buzzing with anticipation at the nearness of Vlad's. That was kind of embarrassing, since he didn't appear to have control over the reaction sometimes, like now. Danny could feel Vlad's core respond in kind since they were so close, so he felt a bit less awkward about it, though the other halfa didn’t seem particularly pleased with the reaction. <br/><br/>Vlad went back to grab his glass and down the rest of his 'Lunch Wine' when he felt their cores almost <em> communicating </em> again, like before. It felt like Daniel was inside him, and he had far too much going on for that kind of crowding. There were things he didn’t necessarily want Daniel to see. Oh how he wished he could block the connection somehow. It reminded him of Nocturne rooting around in his head… But Daniel wasn’t intrusive in the least, instead seemingly bombarding him with this calming, almost sedating energy. It made him want to reach out and grab the younger man, give into that comfort, but he resisted, stubbornly staring out the window and focusing his mind elsewhere to ignore the call of both Daniel's touch and his core. He shuddered. It was a bit overwhelming to the senses with everything else swirling around in his head at the moment, and the alcohol only aided the dizzying effect. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed, just to collect his thoughts… </p><p>He felt fingertips glide up the small of his back all the way to the nape of his neck, leaving behind a sensation that Vlad couldn't quite pinpoint as pleasant or not, given his current frame of mind. He did find himself leaning towards the former, but even so his eyes closed a bit tighter as he grumbled a low, "Daniel…" in a warning tone, on principle. </p><p>Despite said warning, Danny's hand continued upward to pull the tie from his hair, as it wasn't taming much anyway. It was nice when people played with his hair, and he knew Vlad liked it too.</p><p>Though he didn't seem too keen on it now.</p><p>"I'm serious…" Vlad's voice was low and foreboding, and yet that same hand that untied his hair began combing through the tangles left behind, and Vlad was sure that if he opened his eyes he'd shoot an ectoplasmic beam through his custom French doors. Couldn't the boy read a room? He was <em> trying </em> to think, process a few things. He did <em> not </em> want to be pestered right now.</p><p>He was planning to open his eyes and express this to Danny in the calmest voice he could muster when suddenly this warm breath washed over his ear in a whisper he didn't quite hear, something he didn’t let Daniel finish getting out, as it was far too close for comfort far too quickly. He was more infuriated than startled, or rather infuriated <em> because </em> he'd been startled, but either way he flinched back in a jerky fashion before shoving the hovering teen away, pinkish sparks crackling around his hands as he did so. <br/><br/>“Leave me alone, Daniel!” He practically roared as the boy stumbled back. <br/><br/>Danny barely caught himself before falling on his ass, having had to land in a crouch to avoid it, and he looked up at Vlad’s glowing red glare with a dumbfounded expression. Vlad had pushed him <em> hard </em>. Really hard, and he looked ready to beat him into the ground, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.</p><p>It was nothing compared to their past skirmishes, but they hadn't raised their hands to each other outside of sparring in awhile, aside from the time Clockwork had to come save him from Vlad's last drunken fit. <br/><br/>So it was easily recognized by both of them, and naturally all he could think was <em> ‘What the hell?’ </em></p><p>Danny smothered his fight response as best he could, so as not to prompt another brawl like the one they’d had in Vlad's study, trying to skip past the anger and quickly falling into a slightly remorseful feeling, amongst all the other emotions currently swirling in his chest. Confusion was the next easiest thing to identify, along with self-doubt.</p><p>Okay, so maybe Vlad really <em> wasn't </em> the touchy feely type after all? Was he reading the man all wrong? Or the situation… How do you console someone without being too in their face? Or when they were fighting you the whole time? Why was Danny even trying to comfort him? Maybe Vlad didn't <em> want </em> to feel better yet? He sorta understood that... </p><p>Was he fucking this up? Should he just… go away? <br/><br/>For some reason that hurt… </p><p>Just like Vlad, he couldn’t seem to find the line until he’d crossed it, and for that he felt sorry. He’d ignored the warnings Vlad had given, and Vlad <em> rarely </em> gave much warning before lashing out. He blinked up at the fuming man with a deep frown. He just wanted to help, but he was clearly doing the opposite. This was just as bad as fight-date!</p><p>…Okay maybe not just as bad, the stakes were definitely much lower here, but he fell into the same rhythm as Vlad had during said fight-date, disregarding the other's cues and steamrolling over the situation with what <em> he </em> wanted to do. He'd done the same before when he literally used mind control to make Vlad kiss him.</p><p>They stared at each other unblinkingly, knowing they were likely thinking the same thing in that moment.<br/><br/>It seemed <em> neither </em> of them knew when to quit when it came to the other. They never really had. It was dangerous, <em> especially </em> given their evolving relationship. <br/><br/>Vlad clenched his jaw, barely resisting the urge to grind his teeth as he jerked his head to the side and stared at anything but the befuddled boy in front of him. He needed to keep a level head and reel it in despite how frustrated he was, but then he only became more frustrated as he realized his willingness to smother his anger for someone else’s sake likely had much more to do with Daniel's influence than his own self control.</p><p>Not that Daniel was the peace-keeper everyone made him out to be, but he did care about people, how his actions affected them. That's what was stopping Vlad. He cared about what would happen to Daniel if they fought now, be it out of rage or just to blow off steam, verbally or physically. He cared about his tendency to lash out, potentially scaring Daniel away, and the thought of Daniel changing his mind about their arrangements now almost left him as rattled as his dreams had. That was the last thing he wanted. Just the thought made him want to reach out and grab the boy, contradicting himself from not seconds before. He felt two ways at once again, and now he was a mess of inaction. </p><p>Vlad shook his head, mostly at himself, and he almost wanted to laugh. They, <em> he </em>, had quite a few things to work on if they wanted this to last, to work, and at this point Vlad had given up trying to convince himself he didn't. He trudged over to his bed to avoid starting another fight, plopping down and burying his face in his hands. </p><p>He kept it there when he felt the other halfa sit beside him, only sighing when the boy stayed not only silent, but a fair distance away compared to how close he'd usually try to sit, hands in his lap. <br/><br/>Lovely, now Daniel was scared to touch him, to be close to him. It reminded him of himself just over a week before, nervously twiddling his thumbs in Daniel's dark bedroom, fearing rejection. Is that how Daniel felt now? </p><p>That wasn't what he wanted either but it was probably for the best right now, since physical contact only seemed to bring mixed, anxious feelings anyway. Vlad himself was afraid to touch Danny too right then, be it in anger or whatever <em>else</em>. <br/><br/>He still felt Daniel’s fingertips gliding up his back, a residual tingle down his spine that pulsed with his core as it responded to Danny’s own. With the quiet realization that this feeling was successfully taking his mind off of his dreams and putting it in other places, his mind pivoted, clinging to the lingering sensations.</p><p>God, what was wrong with him. This was why he wanted to be left alone. He couldn't figure out what he wanted. He was a very skilled self-soother, but his go-to tricks had failed him. Smoke and drink had done little to mollify him...</p><p>Who needed that? Or talking for that matter? Maybe they <em> should </em> fight. That always relieved stress. But deep down he knew he only felt that way because he was frustrated with his current mental state and craved the mindlessness of violence. Along with that, though, was the comfort and excitement of knowing his opponent would be Daniel, and he began to understand that it was the connection he was after. </p><p>While part of him wanted to dwell on his woes, the other part wanted to disconnect from his past and his haunting night terrors and completely tune into the younger halfa, and combat just so happened to be the most tried and true channel for them, what felt most natural. But the more he thought about what fighting entailed, the better having Daniel's hands on him in other ways began to sound. </p><p>But he couldn’t bring himself to give in to that. He wasn't thinking straight- this was the alcohol again, dipping his mind into the recesses of his more private thoughts and desires to rub his nose in them. </p><p>Pushing the limit in fighting, in training, that was one thing. You could go too far, cross a line and get hurt, but you can recover. They’d done so many times before, they were very hardy individuals, beings, what have you- but you couldn't push like that when it came to other matters, and there were some lines with Daniel that he would never cross. </p><p>Without permission...<br/><br/>That was the real reason for his hesitation, his aversion as of late. What if fighting Daniel turned into something else? Something Daniel wasn't ready for?</p><p>With that thought he realized he was truly worried about- going too far. He was drunk, and had probably reached capacity in terms of impulse control after successfully resisting the urge to throw his boyfriend off of his balcony earlier. What if something went unsaid or misread? Misconstrued? <br/><br/>He would hurt him. He’d hurt him before, but this was an entirely different realm. Daniel may not enjoy the same things he did, but even more worrisome was that he also might not know how to say so. </p><p>Training is just sparring until it somehow becomes sexually charged and then suddenly it's foreplay, and it's beyond difficult to control should things get out of hand. Feeding also often led to a certain physicality that Vlad could no longer deny, one that was inexplicably connected to pain, hurting each other. It was inescapable, really. Lines were blurry and constantly moving for them, as their situation was so very unique and physical, so certain boundaries needed to be set before they went any further.</p><p>Vlad was at first beyond thankful to be inebriated already, as this was not a conversation he'd ever envisioned himself having with <em> Daniel, </em> or really anybody who wasn't essentially already trained in these arts. </p><p>However, it was significantly harder to think all that clearly with the booze fog, and though that had sort of been the idea in the beginning when he'd started this small binge, he was beginning to regret it now.</p><p>He didn't lift his face from his hands, instead turning it in their hold so that he could look at Danny contemplatively through his fingers. Why was he even thinking about this so hard? </p><p>His life was so much easier when he didn't care. Ever since the exchange every single decision he made, everything he said and did suddenly held this immeasurable weight, because now he had Daniel to weigh it against. He had him. He was Daniel's and Daniel was his. To train, to care for, and worst of all to fret over.</p><p>But as burdensome as these feelings and hang-ups could be, he didn't want to go back to the way things were. Things were complex and complicated, but they were still so much better than before.</p><p>Vlad smiled when he caught the boy staring at him, then huffed a small laugh when Danny blushed but steeled his gaze, never one to back down from what he perceived as a challenge. That was something to be addressed as well, the boy's penchant for making everything a contest when he knew how terribly competitive they both were, how likely it was that he'd lose.</p><p>Danny already seemed to see <em> certain </em> encounters like combat, situations that didn't necessarily call for violence or fighting. When they flirted, when the tension between them became almost tangible. He hoped that wasn't because of him… it likely had more to do with Daniel's ghost-fighting lifestyle in general, but Daniel wasn't in a relationship with those other ghosts…</p><p>Sexual encounters didn't always have to be a power struggle, though Vlad typically preferred it that way himself in the past. He needed to be sure that Danny at least knew that before he ruined the boy any more by taking the relationship further, if they <em> did </em> have sex…</p><p>Vlad truly didn't know what to think of that concept realistically, even still. Him and Daniel… He was already probably giving Daniel some kind of complex simply by dating him, he'd be all sorts of confused if Vlad didn't set things straight and teach the boy what little he did know about these sort of relationships, or at least how he thought one <em> should </em> operate, for them. </p><p>He was, if anything else here, a mentor, and relationships were a discipline. Education spanned beyond traditional academics, and this was valuable knowledge, perverse as it could be or otherwise. </p><p>Besides, he <em> loved </em> teaching Daniel new things.</p><p>The object of his thoughts could apparently no longer bear the silence, huffing a nervous laugh as he spoke, eyes trained on his hands in his lap. </p><p>He'd been searching desperately for something to say since they'd fallen silent. He had quite a few options running circles in his minds, so he picked one without really thinking about it.</p><p>"We really need, like, a safe word, huh…” </p><p>Nope, that still sounded weird. </p><p>“For, uh… training, and stuff like this…" </p><p><em> Smooth </em>. </p><p>He was hoping the older halfa's eyes weren't on him anymore, because his face was probably <em> bright </em> red. </p><p>Vlad only gave a soft snort, peeking over his hands to give Daniel a suspicious, knowing look. That's the first thing out of his mouth? </p><p>"Yes, of course, for training." </p><p>The younger halfa had the right idea, though. Once again, Daniel had swooped in to be the adult and open Vlad's eyes to his superior emotional maturity.</p><p>It was almost infuriating. </p><p>He contemplated pouring himself another glass for a moment before finally forcing out what he needed to say. "You aren't wrong, though, Little Badger. Given our peculiar situation, we may actually need a few." </p><p>"<em> Huh </em>?" Danny's voice cracked sharply and he quickly cleared his throat, as though that would make the squawk go unnoticed. Vlad rested his chin in his hand, smirking at Danny's apparent embarrassment.</p><p>"Safe words." He clarified.</p><p>Maybe this conversation would be easier than he thought. "Think of it as a code word, and not just for when I eventually chain you up in my secret dungeon, but for other potentially sticky situations as well." He was internally cackling at the stunned blinks he received.</p><p>Teasing Daniel never failed to make him feel better, why didn't he think of this earlier? "I'm sure I can list a few situations in the past ten days alone in which a safe word would have been quite helpful, or do you not recall-"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I <em> remember </em> ." Danny's mind flashed back to his mother's clueless face, remembering that his parents saw Vlad kissing his neck… <em> Ugh. </em> </p><p>He shuddered, but at least Vlad wasn’t seething or sulking anymore. In fact, he was even smiling. Sure, it was at Danny’s expense, but it was better than that empty look in his eye. Danny gave a dull pout, then a thought hit him and he smirked just as diabolically as Vlad, a mischievous shine in his eyes. "You know, fight-date was technically a double date with my parents."</p><p>Danny cackled not unlike how Vlad himself might, quite pleased with the response as Vlad’s teasing expression fell away to one of slight horror. There, now they both felt awkward. <br/><br/>Vlad gave a disgusted sneer, most likely to disguise his mortification at the notion of being on a <em> date </em> with three of the four Fentons. What an uncomfortable thought. He shook his head but willfully immersed himself in this nonsense conversation to ease his nerves. He definitely wasn’t thinking of his awful night anymore, that was for sure. <br/><br/>"It worries me sometimes, the way your mind works."</p><p>Danny cocked his head to the side at the offhand comment. Rude. "Like you're one to talk, Fruit Loop." </p><p>His mild offense evaporated when he saw the corner of Vlad's mouth turn up before the man gave a guilty shrug. <br/><br/>"You've got me there, I suppose." He was playing along. Danny blinked at the change, studying the man a bit longer before speaking again.</p><p>"So… you're not mad? You're... okay?" He was relieved, but also a little leery. </p><p>Vlad was one moody fuck, and it was pretty hard for Danny to keep up with all of it when he had his own mood-swings to worry about. Alcohol just made the man more volatile, from Danny's experience at least, so he was never sure what to expect. </p><p>Vlad frowned contemplatively, pausing before answering right away. He eventually heaved a great sigh. "I’m not sure how I feel. I am… less upset. Trying to be. Still find you annoying, I suppose it would be more appropriate to call me 'sufficiently distracted' by you than angry with you." <br/><br/>The booze was supposed to make it easier to lean into his more painful thoughts without succumbing to them, but perhaps he should have been pulling himself out of them altogether. This wasn't the 'talking' Daniel wanted, but it wasn't wallowing either.</p><p>Danny sneakily scooted a bit closer, a little less worried about setting the man off now that he’d cooled his head some.</p><p>"Oh? Am I a sufficient distraction?" Vlad raised a brow, shaking his head as he stifled a snort at the schmoozy face Danny was sending him.</p><p>"You’re a good laugh, that's for sure." </p><p>Danny brightened visibly, his ego thoroughly stroked despite the explicitly dry tone in which the supposed complement had been given.</p><p>Vlad couldn't have that.</p><p>"Not because you're witty by any means, you make me laugh in the same way your father does. Both so very bumbling and simple. It can be endearing at times, at the very least."</p><p>Danny's eyes rolled to the back of his head in utter exasperation. Just when he thought Vlad was trying to say something nice. </p><p>He was getting better at recognizing when the man was messing with him, but if he were to read between the lines Vlad's reasoning was still comforting in its own way. Danny could just exist and it was enough for Vlad, or that’s how it sounded when he overanalyzed it. Either way, he shouldn't have tried so hard, shouldn't have pushed when Vlad was clearly on the edge. He was lucky the man hadn't truly lashed out or went full rage mode like that time in his study. It only showed just how unpredictable Vlad really was in these moments, especially with what little mellowing effect Danny’s <em> generally </em> amiable influence had on him over multiple feedings.<br/><br/>There was the softest hint of nervousness in Vlad's voice, not to mention the slight hoarseness that was beginning to come through. "There are still some things we need to discuss…" </p><p>"Really? Because I was thinking of other distracting things we could do to raise your spirits- pun not intended but fully welcomed." He wiggled his eyebrows, as if the pun hadn't extinguished whatever heat the first half of his response had brought on.</p><p>Vlad rolled his eyes but his cheeks pinkened nonetheless. </p><p>Okay, maybe not all of the heat.</p><p>Danny winked and blew a kiss, but then backpedaled before he could respond.</p><p>"And by the way, I mean it, we really don't have to train or anything today if you're not up for it, we can do something chill if you want. Something nerdy even, distract you with that instead." He'd honestly prefer that to training right now, as tired as he was. Maybe this meltdown was a godsend to Danny’s sore muscles, and besides, he'd rather not be on the receiving end of whatever was storming around in the man's head anyway.</p><p>Vlad saw right through him, leaning in close to flash his red eyes and smile wickedly as he snapped his teeth. "Scared of me now, Little Badger?"</p><p>Danny swallowed, brain short-circuiting a bit as his eyes fell to Vlad's mouth, not necessarily scared but more… excited. Why did Vlad leering down at him like that make his pulse quicken? Was this that Gay Panic™ that Dani had once told him about? </p><p>"Okay, I see what you mean by, like, multiple safewords." He explained himself when Vlad leaned back and raised a brow expectantly, not following, and Danny's voice came out a little shaky. </p><p>“Like, I'm sure that was meant to be threatening or whatever, but fear isn't exactly what it's inspiring… I mean, what’s a good safeword for <em> ‘Oh No, Stop That, It’s Kinda Hot’ </em> ? Or like, other things... You know, honestly, 'safeword' still sounds too BDSM and I dunno if I’m into that sort of thing or not, not that I'm totally against stuff like that, I just wouldn't really know, and you know how they say, like, don't knock it till you try it and stuff and <em> God </em> am I rambling?" Danny felt sorry for any mind readers in a hundred mile radius because he was internally <em> screaming </em> at himself to shut <em> up </em> . <br/><br/>Vlad blinked at the sudden 'word vomit', as Daniel would say. He didn’t even have to tease the younger halfa, he embarrassed himself all on his own. Vlad mercifully decided not to pour salt in the wound, despite how badly he wanted to say that while there were probably several reasons Daniel <em> would </em>likely be very much into BDSM, that wasn't what this was. </p><p>The poor boy could only handle so much information in one sitting.</p><p>"Right…" It was all he could get out at first, leaning back into his own personal space, mostly for Daniel's sake. "Then, again, you can think of it as code words. This can be tweaked to suit the nature of our relationship in any way we'd like, choose whatever words to mean what-"</p><p>He couldn't even finish the thought before it brought on a half hour conversation consisting of Danny recycling the old pastry cursed Vlad used when he was a kid, along with a few disturbingly inventive originals. Vlad had served himself another drink about ten minutes in, steadily growing drunker. Daniel was obviously having great fun, and while yes it made things less uncomfortable, it also made Vlad worry that this wasn't being taken all that seriously. Vlad took what few relationships he had very seriously. Always had, in one way or another.</p><p>Vlad took a large drink, unsure of how to correct the behavior without coming off as the bad guy again. </p><p>Meanwhile Danny had sobered a bit, kinda on his own, though not without the help of that deeply contemplative look on Vlad's face, despite all of his jokes to ease the tension. He pursed his lips, debating heavily before finally deciding to sneakily slip in an innocent, but more legitimate question amongst his ridiculous inquiries and suggestions, most of which were just meant to get under Vlad's skin. </p><p>"...What about a word for if we're doing... experiments, and one of us doesn't want to do it anymore?" That was the real point of safewords, right? Make sure the other person doesn't get too freaked out by whatever was happening? Sexual or otherwise?</p><p>God, now that they were getting serious he just kept imagining Vlad in leather...</p><p>He couldn't tell if the vague conversational lane-switch eased Vlad's tension or made it worse, since he wore a pretty hard to read expression. His voice remained cool, and his face eventually matched it once he decided how he felt about the question, answering with a question himself of course.</p><p>"Hm. What kind of experiments did you have in mind?" He had the feeling Daniel wanted to experiment outside of the lab. Finally, they were getting somewhere.</p><p>"Any kind… Like, <em> 'Haha, changed my mind about letting you dissect me' </em> or like <em> 'Ow that hurts, no fun anymore' </em> kinda stuff I guess, I dunno…" Or maybe something like <em> Daniel these restraints are far too tight! </em></p><p>A boy could dream...</p><p>Vlad raised a knowing brow but finally managed to steer the conversation in the right direction, and keep it there until they had a decent understanding. The two eventually hashed out a concise, easy to remember set of words to better safeguard their ghostly activities, amongst their others, and minimize the likelihood of someone getting hurt or exposed. Vlad's idea sprang from Danny comparing the practice to establishing a ‘red light’, and Vlad began formulating three risky scenarios in which they might use these words, broad enough to cover all of their bases.<br/><br/></p><p><em> Green </em> was ' <b> <em>Stop, we have an audience/humans around.</em> </b>'</p><p> </p><p><em> Yellow </em> was ' <b> <em>Stop, you're about to set me off/stop what you're doing.'</em> </b></p><p> </p><p><em> Red </em> was perhaps most important, meaning <b> <em>'Stop, you've hurt me.'</em> </b></p><p><b> <em><br/></em> </b>Colors could be easily and discreetly worked into conversation in something like a 'Green' situation, but it was random enough for one of them to notice, should one need to. 'Yellow' and 'Red' were more for them and their more private endeavors. </p><p>As they uncomfortably trailed off Daniel pulled out his phone and began sending Vlad several consecutive pictures of various traffic signs and their possibly suggestive meanings, accompanied with both virtual and real life kissy faces meant to fluster him. </p><p>This was… so much better than what he had been doing to try and make himself feel good. This was fun. Everything about this was so raw and clumsy, so very Daniel...</p><p>"You know, Vladdy," He said suddenly, making Vlad wrinkle his nose a bit at the absurdly suggestive tone in which he'd uttered that nickname. "This whole talk really got me thinking about playing a nice, wholesome game of Red-Light<b>-</b>Green-Light." </p><p>Vlad looked over at him and blinked, sure that he was misunderstanding. Danny wore a positively devilish grin as his eyes flitted down to Vlad's groin before rising to his face again, eyebrows bouncing almost comically. "You in or should I find some other old mopey bastard to play with?"</p><p>Vlad looked unsure, especially the way Daniel had said <em> 'play with' </em>, but he remained mildly amused. </p><p>This brat. He wondered absently if that bravado would fall away to something else if put to the test, then he tried to put that thought away. But it was hard. </p><p>"If that's the same game I’m remembering from my own youth, then I'm sure it'll be a very quick first and only round…"</p><p>Danny’s eyes briefly widened at what that could possibly mean, at Vlad not shooting his dumb idea down. He'd mostly been joking, but… “Seriously?”<br/><br/>Vlad could almost cackle at the hopeful look on Daniel’s face. Instead of that he lifted a brow challengingly, knowing he probably shouldn’t, but finding himself unable to resist egging the boy on. He leaned back, his hands supporting his weight behind him. One of Danny's followed to rest over his as he twisted to gape at the older man.</p><p>“Unless you’re too nervous? Perfectly understandable at your age, Little Badger.” </p><p>Daniel actually scoffed, the hand not atop Vlad's unabashedly reaching over to rest just above Vlad's knee before it began to slowly creep upwards...<br/><br/>"Red light." Vlad deadpanned immediately, smirking as Daniel froze but kept twitching to move again as he waited for him to say ‘Green light.’ He stayed silent, withholding his evil laughter as Danny squawked yet again when he realized Vlad had no such intention of saying ‘Green light’. </p><p>"Seriously?!" He repeated, louder this time.</p><p>"I told you it would be a quick game, Daniel, think of my virtues."</p><p>"Ha, virtues. Alright then, Fruit Loop, it's your turn. Green. Let's go." He watched Danny's brows furrow in a mild puzzlement for a moment- Vlad could actually see him confusing himself. "Not, like, <em> Green </em> as in-"</p><p>"Obviously not." Vlad gestured to the empty room, shaking his head at the emotional and mental acrobatics Daniel was making him perform just to keep up with their conversation. He was too tired, too drunk for it all... but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't deeply invested in where this was going.</p><p>His mind flashed back to that day on the couch, Daniel's flushed skin and beautiful noises... "This is insane." </p><p>He'd whispered it under his breath to himself mostly, but his company heard him easily.</p><p>Danny frowned, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, audibly so. "The game? How?"</p><p>That made Vlad turn to Danny, the insecurity in the question ringing a little too loud to go unnoticed. For some reason that concerned note to his voice made Vlad feel good, though it probably shouldn't. Like he was glad that Daniel was distressed and insecure about their feelings, or because he needed Vlad to want him so badly. He looked to the younger boy and forced down the lump in his throat before speaking.</p><p>"No, this. I just… never imagined having this kind of conversation... with <em> you. </em>" he finally admitted, half of what was on his mind. Danny laced his fingers together before placing them behind his head with feigned nonchalance. </p><p>"What? Shopping for safe words with your barely legal arch nemesis?" He loved the way Vlad's face bled bright red all over again. Vlad blushed really easily with alcohol involved, it almost distracted him. "We're just trying to make sure neither of us ends up on a cold metal table, that's all. Don't think too much." He reassured morbidly. </p><p>Vlad took that moment to bury his face in his hands again, his voice coming out muffled as he spoke through them once more. "We both know that's not <em> all </em> these words are-"</p><p>"Green light." </p><p>Vlad's jaw snapped shut and he whipped his head to the side to glare at the rude interruption. Then he processed what had actually been said as Danny gave his lap a meaningful look before he leaned back, hands behind him to casually prop him up and mirror Vlad.</p><p>"I said don't think too much. C'mon V-man, are you game? Or do you, ya know, need more time? Perfectly understandable for someone your age."</p><p>Vlad's eyes narrowed bitterly at the dig, knowing Danny was just getting him back, but still… His tongue slid over his teeth as he contemplated his next move. He didn't like how smug Danny looked.</p><p>There were other expressions he wanted to see again.</p><p>In the next second Vlad was no longer on the bed, instead on his knees between Danny's own, a hand on each as he abruptly pushed the boy's legs apart.</p><p>Danny yelped at the jerking motion, but it was brief, quickly smothered. Vlad chuckled at the reaction, then again some more at the glare Daniel sent down to him. </p><p>"So precious, Little Badger." He smiled adoringly up at the displeased sneer Danny wore, clearly becoming fed up with Vlad's teasing.</p><p>"Nobody said Red Light, Fruit Loop." </p><p>Vlad's smile faded and he blinked at the sound of Daniel's voice now, his face feeling warm as they locked eyes. It sounded exactly like it had that in the lab what felt like so long ago, low but slightly hushed, raspy. Wanting. </p><p>Vlad's throat suddenly felt dry, yet he was salivating and he swallowed nervously yet again to neutralize the problem. What was Daniel doing to him? It wasn't anything supernatural in the least, but the silent demand had Vlad's fingers inching upwards again without his explicit permission. His eyes held lighter blue ones, fixated on the intensity there. He began to knead Danny's thigh as his hand had climbed a bit higher, eyes only falling to the boy's mouth when his tongue peeked out and he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.</p><p>Danny thought he'd gone deaf for a second. The room was so dead silent that his ears weren't even ringing anymore. Vlad wasn't even <em> breathing </em>right now, something he only noticed when he became aware of his own slightly uneven breathing. He stopped immediately, sure that Vlad could hear the slight shiver in each exhale. The atmosphere had shifted so quickly after his last words, the expression on Vlad's face going from cocky to unsure just as his own had, looking as though he were debating something in his head.</p><p>Danny didn't want to give him the chance.</p><p>"Does you chickening out mean that I win?"</p><p>Vlad's head reared back slightly, an incredulous, slightly offended look to his face. </p><p>"Chickening out? You think I'm afraid... to touch you right now?" There was a slight laugh in his voice even though he <em> knew </em> he was being baited. </p><p>"I just don't think you will with all my kind-hearted, self-sacrificing ectoplasm all up in your core. You probably cried after we jerked each other off last week." </p><p>"What did you just-"</p><p>"Green. Light. Fruit. Loop." He wiggled his hips, smirking tauntingly with his brow raised high, expectant and eager to see how Vlad would react. </p><p>Vlad's eyes narrowed irritably.</p><p>Daniel picked the wrong day to challenge him. Or perhaps he'd picked the best day, considering what Vlad had just about decided to do.</p><p>Their expressions mirrored each other now,  feigning a nonchalance they both knew they weren't really feeling as Vlad's hands mindlessly ventured upwards still, until they were deftly unbuttoning his jeans. Danny found himself unconsciously parting his legs further, slowly losing face when he realized Vlad was about to see how stupid hard he was already. </p><p>Vlad was tentatively pulling at his jeans, still staring straight up into lidded blue eyes. Now Daniel looked like the one who'd been drinking, a slightly hazy, feverish look to his stare, which quickly fell to Vlad's lips as he spoke.</p><p>"You aren't saying anything…" He whispered, a bit breathlessly. Maybe he shouldn't have had those last two drinks. He was beginning to crave the mindlessness of other physical activities. He didn't want to stop, and if Daniel wasn't saying Red-Light or anything of the sort, then he technically didn't have to. Their game was surely long over by now but he was still playing by <em> some </em> rules, so he wasn't completely rotten.</p><p>With that inebriated logic he didn't wait for a response, didn't give Daniel the chance to stop him because that ship was setting sail at an alarming speed.</p><p>He tugged the jeans the rest of the way down Danny's thighs in one swift pull, his breath hitching when the boy raised his hips to help before Vlad remembered they were ghosts and phased them off.</p><p>"I feel pretty, uh, safe, so…" At first Vlad didn't know what he was talking about, too enthralled by the sight before him. He leaned in a bit, lifting Danny's leg over his shoulder and lazily pressing his face into his thigh, needing a break from that fervid, heady stare, and only then realizing that Daniel was responding to his last comment. He wasn't using a safe word because he felt 'safe'.</p><p>Vlad laughed, his eyes falling shut as he kissed his way up the inside of Danny's thigh, his other hand creeping up again as well to feel soft skin instead of denim this time. His voice was silken when he spoke again, or that's how it sounded to Danny. </p><p>"<em> Do </em> you, Little Badger?"</p><p>He looked back up and felt Daniel's core almost shiver as their eyes met again. It not only added to the fluttering sensation in his own core, but also the one in his stomach. It was hypnotizing, but also off-putting. Vlad squeezed him through his boxers when the boy kept staring at him, maintaining the tense silence a little too long for Vlad's liking. It seemed to punctuate his inquiry well enough, but Daniel didn't provide any real answer to his question.</p><p>Instead Danny gasped through his nose at the sudden pressure before he stuttered out, "Your eyes are r-red…" </p><p>He continued to stare back at Vlad, finding the ghostly response <em> interesting </em>. </p><p>"<em> And </em>?" Was all he got from Vlad before the man broke eye contact, apparently unaware of the response until he'd pointed it out. He even lightly bit Danny's thigh for doing so, seemingly embarrassed. Very interesting. </p><p>Involuntary scary eyes only ever happened for him when there was a really intense feeling involved, like when they were angry and arguing before. What was Vlad feeling right now?</p><p>Danny blinked, wondering if he could find out. Vlad probably wouldn't like it too much, and it might shift the stellar mood they'd fallen into, but it wasn't as though Vlad was gonna <em> tell </em> him anything. He closed his eyes, faintly leaning into the other's energy. It wasn't all that intrusive, Vlad just… wasn't very guarded right now, another thing for that voice in his head to scream about. </p><p>It was harder to sense in human form, more of a nuanced understanding between their semi-dormant cores, but he had so much of Vlad's ectoplasm in him that he could just feel it. He left the focused expression on his face for a good moment before his mouth broke into a grin. Vlad's core was near enough to feel with a pretty decent accuracy, without his usual walls up of course. </p><p>"<em> And, </em>” He continued mockingly, “you're like, super excited right now." He opened his eyes, green swimming around in the blue as he smirked down at the older man. He liked that him being half naked excited Vlad this way, but he couldn't help poking fun at the person who always teased him so mercilessly. "Hey, light's still green if you want it so bad."</p><p>Vlad growled lowly, obviously aware that Danny was internally having a great laugh at his expense, and the hand that had taken to exploring his skin was suddenly flattened against his chest, pushing him down onto his elbows and knocking the wind out of him. If Daniel wanted this to be a competition so badly then fine. He was going to lose hard. Though the penalty for defeat wasn’t going to be much punishment…<br/><br/>But at least Vlad would get <em> his </em> prize. <br/><br/>At first Danny just laughed at being knocked on his back, thinking it was a playfully vengeful response to being called out and not a strategic move to put him into a particular position, but the sound quickly died in his throat when that same hand slowly trailed down until it reached the hem of his underwear. His wide eyes caught Vlad’s tongue slipping out to wet his lips. Then he caught on.</p><p>Holy shit. Oh fuck. Was Vlad really about to…? </p><p>His head jerked back down to stare as the man licked his lips, fingers dipping under the elastic and tugging teasingly. </p><p>Vlad was about to suck him off. And he was <em> excited </em> about it. <br/><br/>He’d once had a dream about sucking <em> Vlad </em> off, but he’d never imagined it the other way around. Well, he definitely had, but not as a potential <em> reality. </em></p><p>They were both furiously red in the face at this point, but he wasn't sure how much of the man's blush came from the booze and how much came from… other things. He wasn't sure if it mattered all that much to him at this point.<br/><br/>Vlad himself felt lost, like he’d been whisked away to an alternate timeline where his life wasn’t a complete tragedy. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever believe that Daniel was really his, because this didn’t feel real to him either. His chest was full, he felt like he was overflowing, and he wasn’t sure if it was the dreams or the alcohol or the smell of Daniel’s skin but basking in this moment felt like bathing in sunlight. <br/><br/>All his. </p><p>Vlad's eyes still shown a dim red glow over Danny's lap, unable to meet that equally disbelieving stare as he leaned closer still, then they fell closed as he began placing kisses up and down Danny's hard length through the thin fabric of his boxers. He sighed warmly as he did so, smiling when he felt the other halfa's legs twitch against him, then not long after came the squirming. </p><p>Both of his hands found Daniel's hips, pressing him down into the plush comforter to prevent movement and reveling in the fact that Daniel whined but let him. He wasn't stopping Vlad, in fact, he instead seemed very interested in what Vlad would do next, growing restless with his drawn out torture.</p><p>Danny chewed the inside of his cheek, not wanting to make any more weird sounds despite Vlad having probably heard them all by now. Classic Vlad, toying with him as usual. Regardless, he bunched the sheets in his fists and clenched his teeth, determined not to make any noise- which lasted a very short while after Vlad phased his boxers off mid-kiss.</p><p>He half groaned, half sighed at the feeling of Vlad's warm mouth on him, almost closing his eyes but not wanting to miss the way the older man looked right then. </p><p>Bits of his pretty hair falling over his shoulder, flushed and breathless as his kisses gradually became wetter and messier. He got to watch Vlad run his long hot tongue from the very base of his cock all the way up to just under the head where it swirled in a way that had Danny holding his breath again, unconsciously rocking his hips forward, seeking more of that sensation. </p><p>Holy fuck. </p><p>When Vlad took him in his mouth and moaned this low indulgent sound around him he thought he'd actually pass out. </p><p>His fingernails had unbiddenly elongated into ghostly claws that were currently ruining Vlad's expensive bedding as he stared down at the painfully hot scene before him, slightly cross-eyed and breathless, and he found himself fixated on the red of Vlad's cheeks again for a brief moment before the man's mouth stole back his attention. </p><p>Something in the back of his hazy mind wondered if the older man's behavior had more to do with his blood alcohol content than Vlad just having an insatiable desire to get him off. He didn't think they were playing Red-Light-Green-Light anymore, and that had been bullshit anyway. This was a drastic change from his behavior this past week. Vlad usually held back. It had to be the booze.</p><p>Danny brought his hand to his mouth to smother himself when Vlad began to suck, his thoughts briefly evaporating again as his head tipped back. He was glad Vlad was holding his hips down, since it was hard not to thrust into that wet heat. Now he lay flat on his back, panting but unable to stop it. Vlad was right, this would be a quick round, because he was sure he was gonna bust any second. </p><p>He went to bring his other hand up to better focus on smothering himself when one of Vlad's seized his wrist and halted the movement. Danny looked down to find Vlad now staring straight up at him, a predatory glint to his red eyes as he released Danny's wrist to wrap around his cock.</p><p>"I want to hear you…" his lips were wet and distracting and Danny wasn't entirely aware of what he was agreeing to but the overwhelming need to have Vlad's mouth on him again had him nodding along regardless, eyes floating up from his mouth to the glowing red peering back at him. It was like Vlad was seeing <em> through </em> him, that look in his eye had Danny's hands itching to…</p><p>"Vlad… I-" he reached down and wove his fingers into the man's hair, giving in to his urge to touch but not for the reasons he wanted to. There must have been something worrisome in his tone because Vlad immediately lifted his head and removed his hands, both of them moving to cradle the hand in his hair turning to kiss Danny's palm as if in apology.</p><p>"If this is too much-"</p><p>His fingers knotted in Vlad's silvery tresses, unconsciously pulling the man's face back down to his aching length. "God, no, please don't stop, that's not-"</p><p>He was far too hot to feel embarrassed about how desperate that had sounded, but before Vlad could even get his mouth on him again Danny was mumbling.</p><p>"It's just… I-" Vlad looked him straight in the eye and swirled his tongue around the head of his cock, making him briefly choke on his words. He trembled. "You- you're drunk right now." <br/><br/><em> Ha! </em> Vlad laughed internally, remembering how Danny <em> begged </em> for that first-ish kiss, swearing he wasn't too drunk or vulnerable to do such a thing. Sure, this was quite a bit more than a kiss, but the general idea was very much the same.</p><p>Vlad only hummed instead of calling Daniel out on his hypocrisy, not wanting to spoil the mood. He tilted his head, leaning it against the thigh resting on his shoulder again, kneading the muscled flesh of that same thigh with one hand while his free one stroked Daniel at a painfully slow pace, watching the cute facial expressions that ensued when the boy could no longer speak. </p><p>He had a fair point, Vlad definitely felt free of the weight of a few inhibitions right now. It was not all that different from the rush he felt when he turned to crime to build his fortune, taking what was rightfully his as if nothing, not even his own conscience could stand in the way of his desires. It was freeing, and what he felt now was freeing. In a sense he was just taking what he wanted again, the shame and stigma of the act be damned along with the rest because <em> Daniel wanted him to. </em></p><p>All that mattered presently was the young man laid out before him and the beautifully lewd display his spread legs made.</p><p>"I… can assure you that this is something I would crave to do in any state of mind." He watched Daniel shiver, and he felt something deep in his core rumble through him like a roll of thunder… He wanted more of the feeling, to see more, hear more, taste more.</p><p>All the times he brought Daniel pain seemed to be resurfacing and leaving Vlad with what felt like this unattainable goal to bring pleasure in place of each of those transgressions, as if to atone for his sins. But they were countless. Absolution would always be out of reach.</p><p>And yet that didn't stop him from wanting it. <br/><br/>“Please…” He whispered, begging not unlike how Daniel had that night on this very same bed.</p><p>His answer seemed to be good enough for Daniel, who groaned and eagerly pressed his glistening tip against Vlad's lips until they yielded to him, sinking deeper until Vlad was practically swallowing him. </p><p>"Hahh... Nnh, <em> Vlad… </em>" God, it sounded like he was almost sobbing the man's name but he couldn't stop it if he wanted to anymore, not after Vlad started moving, sucking him again. His hips rocked of their own free will, and for a moment he faintly registered surprise that Vlad was basically letting him fuck his face. He then realized that was because his hand was still tightly knotted in the man's hair, holding him in place for a bit longer than initially intended. So ‘letting’ was perhaps a strong word. Danny quickly let go, a large breath leaving him with all the effort and will power that it took in that moment.</p><p>"... m'sorry…" he panted lightly, taking in the faintest tears in the corner of older halfa's still glowing eyes as the man gasped. Vlad, though, didn't appear particularly displeased. </p><p>He simply wiped his chin on Danny's thigh, seemingly unbothered, but then he promptly sunk his teeth in and sucked a deep bruise into the skin. Punishment, likely. The sudden pain was jarring enough to extract a yelp, followed by a soft whine from Danny, who naturally went to cover his mouth again until he heard the unholy sound Vlad made in response to his own. </p><p>The older hybrid looked up at him as he relaxed his jaw and ran his tongue over the sensitive discolored mark, then raised his head and rasped a very flat and hushed, "I'm not." </p><p>While Vlad didn't have his huge fangs in human form, his teeth, his canines in particular, were still sharp as hell. Danny was pretty sure he was even bleeding, and he didn't find the tender love and care Vlad's tongue was lathing his flesh with all that tender. Strangely enough though, he still felt himself arching <em> toward </em>the feeling, like he wanted whatever Vlad had to offer in that moment. </p><p>Fortunately for him said man was feeling merciful and Danny was once again swallowed by that heavenly hot velvet. The pace he chose this time was far less agonizing, as he seemed to be done torturing the poor boy, and Danny lost all hope of withholding the sounds welling up his throat. </p><p>The noisier he was the more Vlad gave him, fingernails biting into his skin, the low vibrations of the man groaning around him, all of it was beginning to run together like an all too pleasant sensory overload. As he drew closer he was hardly aware he was making any sound at all, aside from a faint undertone of his own voice that almost echoed like it was playing from another room. A steady stream of breathy, mindless pleas falling from his lips as his fingers tangled in Vlad's hair again, and he was glad he couldn't fully register that it was coming from him.</p><p>Vlad, however, could hear it all loud and clear. </p><p>Never in his past encounters, few and far between as they were, had anyone had the audacity to take from <em> him </em> like this, but God if those sweet cries didn't make for more than fair compensation. Oh how he wanted nothing more than to reach into the bottom drawer of his nightstand for the small bottle he kept there, coat his fingers and plunge them into the already quivering body offered up to him, and before he could even shame himself for that thought he found himself moaning at it, like some sort of debauchee. He couldn’t help it, really. He wanted Daniel <em> screaming </em> his name. He wanted to give him everything. <br/><br/>Vlad let the other halfa drive their pace now, finding himself quite satisfied to surrender to the rough treatment even as he began to choke, his fingernails seeking purchase in the flesh of the rutting hips beneath them once more, this time for his own sake.</p><p>Between the increased enthusiasm and the low vibrations of Vlad’s groans Danny was at the end of his rope, but the sound of Vlad <em> choking </em> around him? That was what did it. <br/><br/>Vlad grunted as he was harshly yanked forward by his hair so his nose could be buried in a sparse tuft of wiry black hairs, wrinkling at the bitter tang of Daniel's cum running down the back of his throat, and then on his tongue when Danny finally released his hair and let him free to move again. He gasped before swallowing it all down, his palate far too refined to let any of it sit there in his mouth but his carpet far too nice to spit it out- and he'd only recently gotten that replaced. <br/><br/>It wasn’t as though Daniel had really given him much choice in the matter anyway.</p><p>He laughed at the stray thought as he sat back on his haunches, scattering kisses over his still-heated flesh some more and giving particularly careful attention to the almost frightfully dark mark that was still forming at the very top of his inner thigh. He couldn't really call that one a love bite.</p><p>No matter, it would heal. Unfortunately. </p><p>Danny, even coming down from his ebbing high, was quick to assume the worst, sure that the short laughter was at his expense somehow, Vlad being notorious for teasing.</p><p>"What?" He asked with a pout, almost tempted to reach out and yank the man's hair again, for different reason this time. This situation was already sort of awkward by nature for him, so it was the worst time to be made fun of. </p><p>Just like last time he and Vlad fooled around he had no idea what to say now, obviously nothing much better than 'what'... But of course <em> Vlad </em> had something to say to fill the silence.</p><p>"That didn't last all that long, but it was still longer than I anticipated."</p><p>Danny blinked up at Vlad's smirking face, the man looking quite pleased with himself. In return he only gave an exhausted, flat look that said <em> gee thanks </em> while out loud he went with something else. </p><p>"Literally die." </p><p>Vlad grinned, having a hard time finding that response all that biting when Danny looked thoroughly wrecked, still laid out on his back sinking into the mattress. He was actually mildly impressed, given how confident he was that Daniel had never received such treatment before, but Vlad wasn’t sure how to phrase such a compliment honestly without getting a hole blasted through his chest.</p><p>"Too late." Vlad quipped instead as he crawled over him, looming above on all fours to look down at the vision below before leaning in to steal a kiss or twelve. The way they were so freely given didn't feel much like theft, though. </p><p>He carefully settles his weight over the boy beneath him, feeling light and still kissing him relentlessly he tries to catch his breath. Odd that it was Daniel who actually finished and yet <em> he </em> was the one to feel this… euphoria. He wanted more, of Daniel and of that feeling, ever greedy, but not like this, when he was still such a mess. Besides, Daniel seemed quite spent. </p><p>He finally pressed his lips to Daniel's, smiling into it when he felt him kissing back, and not long after his ears begin to pick up a low rumbling, feeling the faintest vibrations echo through him. A purr, soft and quiet, and it took a minute for him to realize part of it was coming from him. His core. Even in human form.</p><p>He frowned, pulling away a bit to place his hand over his chest, then Daniel’s own, trying to remember the few other times the phenomena occurred. Again, Daniel seemed to pay it little mind, simply basking in it instead of trying to pick it apart like Vlad found himself doing. It was one of a dozen ghostly mysteries on his list of puzzles to solve as of late and under his breath he couldn’t help but mumble absentmindedly about it as he marveled, pushing Danny's shirt further up his chest, and not just to feel at the skin there. “... So much work to do…” </p><p>Would there ever be an end to his questions? Ever?</p><p>The next thing out of the younger halfa's mouth quickly brought him back to the reality of the present, jarring him out of his distracted musings. </p><p>“Dude, that's what sucking my dick makes you think about?” Vlad recoiled in disgust with a tight grimace at the language, even dropping his shirt rolling off of him to direct his frown to the ceiling when he could no longer look at Daniel. <br/><br/>“It makes me think about brushing my teeth- and maybe yours too. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” <br/><br/>“Ew, dude, don’t bring up my mom right now I still don’t have pants on.” <br/><br/>Vlad had the decency to look at least slightly sheepish, as Maddie <em> was </em> a touchy subject for the both of them, but his haughty frown quickly returned, determined to have the last word. “Stop calling me dude.” <br/><br/>Petty arguing was much easier than thinking or talking about what he'd just done. He didn't regret it, but he was surprised by himself, by how hungry he'd been for the younger man's cries. How hungry he still was. </p><p>"Vlad?"</p><p>He turned his head to find Daniel staring at him, lids looking heavy. "Yes, Little Badger?"</p><p>"What are you thinking about now?"<br/><br/>Vlad paused, really picking apart what was on his mind before he decided to answer. There was so much he was thinking about at once- his dreams, his past, the tapestry, the Fentons, how he could no longer feel those soothing vibrations from either of their cores, how that was likely his fault for killing the mood.</p><p>But he was sure that Daniel wanted to know what he was thinking in regards to him, to them, to what just happened, and Vlad was still processing it himself. What <em> was </em> he thinking? <br/><br/>Of course his mind was still wrapping around what he’d just done, if it was okay, if it was too soon or too much. That was supposed to be gentle. And by his standards it had been. Minimal tears, no blood spilled, Daniel clearly enjoyed himself… He shouldn’t be so worried, but the feeling that he was doing something wrong was ever lingering, and he wasn’t sure if it came from regretting his actions or his skewed state of mind. Regret wasn’t a good word, but he was still absorbed in the thought that he would ruin Daniel more and more the further their relationship progressed. </p><p>"I worry about the strange dynamic you and I have developed. If it's smart, if it's healthy. That's what I'm thinking about." He didn't care for his own sake anymore, having forced himself to come to terms with an inevitable end with pain and heartbreak, his faithful friends, but caring about Daniel like this meant caring about what being with him would <em> do, </em> how it could hurt him.</p><p>"Oh. That's a weird thing to call a loving relationship, but okay." He tensed at how Vlad's eyes snapped to the side to stare at him after he said 'loving', and he quickly dropped his gaze. "I thought it was, uh, something else..."</p><p>That seemed to steer Vlad's attention, and his head finally turned to match his eyes.</p><p>He's about to ask what Daniel had imagined he was thinking when he followed that heated gaze to his softening erection, having been thoroughly distracted by their cores, as opposed to ignited. He wondered why that was. Did he really have <em> that </em> much on his mind?</p><p>Then he looked back to Daniel's blushing face, watching him lick his lips.</p><p>"I wanted to…I mean, <em> want </em> to-" His soft whisper cut short when Vlad turned onto his side, now close enough to reach out and run his fingers over the milky skin of Danny's bare hip.</p><p>"Don't you worry, Little Badger, we have plenty of time for that." He sat up to reach down and grab the underwear he thankfully hadn't flung across the room, handing them to Daniel who lazily, and a bit clumsily, shoved his legs through the holes before his limbs flopped back uselessly onto the bed. </p><p>Vlad smiled fondly, thoroughly endeared. A slight edge of concern bled into his voice, "For now, you already appear to be entering your REM cycle." He took a careful pause before asking his next question. "How was your stay at home?"</p><p>Daniel's bottom lip jutted out as he recalled the night before, the jumpiness, the sleeplessness.</p><p>"It wasn't good." He echoed Vlad’s flat response from earlier, even taking on the petulant tone he'd used, and suddenly Vlad felt like a child yet again, though for a different reason. He'd been self absorbed and unobservant when Daniel fist arrived.</p><p>He wasn't the only one who had a rough night, it seemed, but he'd been so wrapped up in himself that he hadn't cared to think all that hard about the state of Daniel’s world at the moment. The bed of his enemy was now a haven from the place he’d called home all his life. It was quite the drastic change, and a pretty awful transition into adulthood, amongst his jarringly physical ghostly one that they’d yet to figure out. How <em> could </em> one sleep while amid such a complex cluster of conundrums? <br/><br/>“What happened?" He asked simply, really wanting to know what life was like under that roof after his cameras were so rudely removed, times like these making him regret not replacing them. <br/><br/>Daniel rolled over onto his side as well to face him, his hand moving forward to mess with the few buttons he had fastened on his sleep shirt, watching himself undo them and sneak his fingers beneath the fabric. </p><p>“When… did you plan on talking to them again? My parents?” <br/><br/>Danny finally looked up at Vlad to find him frowning, deep in thought, and suddenly he missed the sound of the light purring. </p><p>Instead of answering Vlad took his hand and pulled Danny up until he was laying on Vlad’s chest, situating them until they were laying properly in his bed, under his heavy blankets. His finger threaded into his messy hair, tucking the younger halfa’s face into the crook of his neck and wrapping his other arm around the ever slowly relaxing body on top of him. <br/><br/>“I'm waiting for the right time, I suppose.” <br/><br/>Danny huffed against his neck, a light snort. </p><p>"Will it be before or after they figure out how to put that shield around my room and fry me to death?"</p><p>"Hopefully before, but I suppose we'll have to see how that plays out." </p><p>Danny lifted his head to glare down at the smirking man. He didn't really have the energy to do scary eyes, so he was sure the look was a lot less angry feral dog and a lot more very sleepy puppy. </p><p>He quickly gave up, as Vlad was clearly unswayed and adamant about being vague with his plans, and after earlier he wasn’t going to keep pressing. </p><p>His head flopped back onto Vlad's firm chest, his hand trailing up from Vlad's stomach to join his wild hair in tickling at what little skin Vlad had exposed, feeling the hard muscles along the way. He delighted in the shiver beneath him, sure that Vlad knew exactly what he was doing because he felt the man's arms tighten around him. He smiled drowsily.</p><p>"They asked me to invite you to dinner, before Jazz flies back out to get ready for school."</p><p>Vlad didn't respond right away, having to pick through his list of excuses. "I've been busy-"</p><p>"Yeah, today's been real productive."</p><p>"The tapestry-"</p><p>"Isn't going anywhere. And you probably have it memorized by now."</p><p>Vlad's lips pressed into a fine line, knowing all of his other excuses were weak, and he feared Daniel might know his tells a bit too well by now to lie or make something up. Sleep was finally calling to him like a sweet siren, but he knew Daniel would let neither of them get any rest until the matter was settled.</p><p>"... When is this dinner scheduled to take place?"</p><p>He felt Daniel relax just a bit more against him, and Vlad reveled in the feeling of them melting together. </p><p>"They were waiting on that so it wouldn't interfere with anything you had going on. Dad didn't want to pick a place you wouldn't like so he asked me to have you pick." </p><p>Vlad craned his neck to look down at Danny, trying to see his face. "What part of that is upsetting you?"<br/><br/>Danny didn’t respond for a few seconds, like he had to take a moment to contemplate his honest answer, as Vlad had. "I'm just… If the conversation isn't about ripping our ghost halves apart it's about you. The way they look at me now is so fucked up. Like, if they know what I am wouldn't they have already cut me open by now? But I mean, if they don't know then <em> why are they looking at me like that, </em> you know? What did I do?”</p><p>"I'm not sure Little Badger. I can promise you I will try to find out more when I am talking with them."</p><p>Danny blinked away the tears that had begun forming in his eyes and brought them up to stare into Vlad's. Here he was again, making promises. </p><p>Danny took those very seriously. "You promise?"</p><p>Vlad's hand was pressing him into his chest again, tucking his head under his chin as he stroked his hair. The warmth and soft rhythmic thrumming was quickly lulling him into what was sure to be a heavy slumber, and he could no longer tell if he was picking up Vlad's core or his heart beat, but he certainly didn't miss the soft reassurance mumbled into the crown of his head.</p><p>"I promise."</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh noes, what did sad!Vlad dream about D;</p><p>Here's a bunch of nonsense that I kept thinking about while writing this ~~</p><p>"As Daniel might say," is like my favorite bc i just imagine like, you know Danny would just speak only in slang and memes some days and Vlad would have to figure out what the fuck he was trying to say. Vlad big boomer man like "these whippersnappers"smh🙄<br/>-------<br/>Vlad, [now with 60% more feelings!] :: I'm a big bad man, perverting this already troubled boy by letting the toxicity of our past bleed into our present, potentially confusing him and turning him into a deviant like myself and ruining him-<br/>Danny, literally always horny :: Can I, like, tie you up?<br/>-------<br/>Also<br/>"No touchy, no fuck, first safe words!"<br/>[Proceeds to suck dick under the influence of alcohol after giving Danny shit about being drunk their first kiss.]<br/>-------<br/>When your life is so painfully distressing and complicated that your boner say⌚✌<br/>Just depression things♡</p>
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  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
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        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27630965">Equilibrium - Illustration</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/gally_hin/pseuds/gally_hin">gally_hin</a>
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